Destiny: Fallen Rising
by Shadow11Wolf50
Summary: Through the eyes of a Fallen vandal, that found a Kell worth fighting for in a Guardian, a Huntress named Shadow. Her and her team owe the Queen a favor for helping them get into the Black Garden, but its just more than the House of Wolves rising up, so much more towards the Fallen. So much more to Voxen... *Discontinued*
1. Chapter 1 Ambush

**Alrighty guys. Here's my take on Destiny. I do not own Destiny, the only thing I own is the characters I made up and the story in which I was inspired to create. Please comment good or bad, as it helps me improve the story. However I ask you leave an explanation to your comment as well. Don't just tell me its awful, tell me why and where YOU suggest I could improve.**

 _What happened?_

"Why are you hesitating?"

"Eh. Dunno. Figured I'd already gotten my point across."

 _Everything... hurts..._

"Well might as well get it over with..."

"Not worth the effort."

 _Where are my weapons?_

"Yet, you've killed the rest of its squad."

"Yep. Your point?"

 _That's right..._

The two voices continued on their debate... but it couldn't focus on their words anymore...

Everything happened so fast. It was just supposed to be a regular ambush. It was just one human. They'd slain so many before. Their Captain was so sure it was going to be more like a slaughter than a fight. Kill the human, raid the corpse, and collect the bounty. It was almost Dreg work, yet the bounty was so high for its head it had been waaaaay too good to pass on. How had it gone so wrong? It had the entire pack at its side. Yet... here it was...

 _How... did we fall to this?_

It tried to open its eyes. The light only made it worse. It stung causing it to hiss and flinch at the light, blinking slowly to recover. Then both pairs of eyes managed to focus downward, looking at the arm that held it by the throat; and the figure that was attached to it. Small yet strong, so much stronger than they could have known. A dark crimson cloak covered most of the helm, but a single pair of glowing, yellow eyes stared back at it.

 _My pack..._

Most of its pack fell quickly before they even came close. All the Dregs went down like they had never seen a day of combat before. Its fellow vandals, comrades, and brothers in arms, didn't last much longer. Even the ones who tried to get back and take aim with their wire rifles were killed just as quickly as the others that rushed in with swords.

 _Even the Captain._

The Captain had charged in with reckless abandon, with no gun, favoring four shock swords to go in for the kill. It had seen it with its own eyes. Their prey took out two vandals with ease with a strange knife, falling down with one as it fell dead to the earth, rolled with it, and then suddenly glowing with the most intense blue-white fire it had ever seen. Wielding a small pistol bathed in the same fire, it shot down the captain cleanly three times in the chest. The first shot clearing the shield and the other two rounds piercing through the chest. Dropping the large Fallen Captain like it had been nothing...

 _A fool anyway..._

Still... It could feel warm life blood trickling down its lower arm, and hear the soft dripping on the dusty ground. It could remember laughing, almost as if the sound of their laughter was ringing around it from the night before with its fellow vandals about this prey. They all thought it was a joke, and easy kill. The Captain sought to rise above the ranks for this kill. To replace their fallen Kell that had been defeated in combat by a mere... _human._ Or three if the story was true. The Captain had been a fool. They all had been... They all had acted like reckless Dregs and it had cost them dearly...

"Well what now?"

It painfully turned its head over toward the voice... A small robotic thing that reminded it of a Sepitor, but it was too small the shape was all off and it glowed a white-blue instead of purple. But that one glowing eye staring back... The glowly stare bared a stark resemblance that captured its four-eyed gaze on it.

"I figure I drop its ass here and leave it to die or fend for itself. Either way. No point to kill it."

It turned its head back to the hooded figure, the human, which held it up by its neck one-handed. All it could see through the crimson cloak that covered the human's head was a faceless helm marked in gold paint of the symbol Reef Queen, preventing from seeing the human's feature that was protected beneath. Suddenly the pain vanished, the grip on its throat was gone and it hit the ground with a heavy _thud_. It stayed down in the dirt, a small pool of blood collecting on the ground under it from its wounds.

While it lay there, its mind raced in thought. The Fallen followed the strong, consumed the weak, and moved on. That was in their nature. This _human_ was strong. It had killed its entire pack like an angry Kell does to any unworthy crew or single Fallen that has displeased it. Maybe... It thought... just maybe this human was worth following; worth calling a Kell. It was traitorous to its kin, but what else did it have to lose? Its pack was completely wiped out, defeated, and dead. That's what happens when one follows an unworthy and weak leader like the Captain had been. It had known the former Captain was a poor leader, but it had earned its rank through sheer, fearless zeal in a raid and somehow had been the only survivor to return to report to the Baron.

 _This... human... I call it..._

It gathered itself from the ground, rising only but a little to kneel before the human with its head hung low, both pairs of arms turned out in a submissive manner. Would the human kill it and walk away? Abandon it here, to die? Its heart raced in its chest, as a silence followed. It could only wait for a response.

The human, who hadn't been paying much attention to it, bushed its single pair of hands together, as if wiping away the filth of it off them about to turn away; suddenly stopped and looked down at it as it groveled in the dirt. Then the human took it off guard; a fast bark of a laugh, as if amused.

"Hey Ghost. Look at this!"

"I... Think... you it on the head too hard..."

"Kell... wooooorthy." It rasped in the gruttal tone typical of a fallen with a dry throat; while keeping its body low to the ground, and dropping both pairs of eyes at the human's boots so not to raise offense that might prompt the human to simply kill it instead.

"Ha! It thinks I'm some kinda Kell! That's fucking funny!" The human chuckled more.

"Ummm... I don't like this...It might be a trap."

"Only one way to test the theory."

"What are you doing?" The ghost hesitantly asked.

 _Click...hisssssssss_.

It didn't dare look up.

"That's completely reckless! Wh-"

"Hey you! Look at me." The huntress barked at him.

It complied and looked up just enough to see the human had pulled off its helmet and its face lay open to the air. Short black quills, no _hair_ , frizzed and messy from being inside the helm deep blue eyes stared back at it and it suddenly felt like a young whelp again. The Huntress, it looked female by their standards, bore dark grey war paint on its face in the shape of a human skull. The helmet now clipped to her belt at her waist.

"You really want to follow me Vandal?"

"My... Kell... I serve." It said, lowering its eyes.

"No. Look at me..." She clapped her hands. "Hey I said look at me."

It turned its gaze back onto the Huntress's.

"Alright. You can come along. But none of this bowing shit. Got me? Get up!"

"You got a name?" She demanded, putting her hands on her hips while her Ghost just hovered near by looking back from her to it as if it was really uneasy with this whole thing; expecting it to leap up at any time and strike her dead.

It nodded back in answer.

"Voxen." It spoke, slowly rising up to its feet, but still staying low enough to meet right at eye level with the Huntress.

"Alright Vox. Off with that helmet, I want to see your face."

"Vox?" It tilted its head to one side in confusion.

"Yes, Vox. For short. You got a nickname now." The huntress replied. "Now, off with that Helm. I'm curious as to what a Fallen's face looks like without one or can you not breathe without it?"

"I can."

"Off with the helmet then."

Hesitantly, but almost fearful of the Huntress's wraith if it did not comply, it placed to hands on its helm using the second pair to unlatch the locks on it in the back, pulling it off in one swift motion. Its light grey, almost scaly looking skin looked like it was not exposed to the air of Earth often. Even without the optics on its eyes still glowed blue as if a bright fire burned with-in, and its ridge of hair on its head flexed and sprang up from against its head. The short bristle of hair rose up and down a few times with a nervous reflex to it.

It could breathe this planet's air; however, it did not give her strength like the ether did. The vandal felt weaker and even more vulnerable than it already had, defeated and bleeding lifeblood all over the ground.

"Huh, cool Vox. So you a dude or a chick?"

Voxen tilted its head to the side again.

"You should be more clear. I'm sure that Fallen probably do not understand human slang words, if they speak a human language at all." The Ghost chirped in dryly.

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine..." The Huntress sighed, rolling her eyes at the Ghost then refocusing her attention back on Voxen. "Are you male, or female?"

Voxen took a second, absorbing the words spoken, finally understood and replied.

"Feee...male?"

The Huntress lips pulled back in a sudden snarl, unsettling Voxen and her quills flattened on her head as she shrank back. Yet the rest of the human's body language didn't match. The Huntress turned to her ghost and the snarl got wider.

"Raven's gonna get a kick outta this! And Draco's gonna be sooooo fuckin' pissed he lost the bet!" She squeaked in an excited manner.

"DRAC-0 will be very upset, but right now I think you've startled Voxen here." The Ghost observed.

The huntress looked back at Voxen again and her snarl disappeared.

"Oops... sorry Vox, it's a human thing, well awoken too, but it's not like I'm snarling at you. It's call a "grin" or "smile". I'm just getting a kick outta a lost bet. You understand bets and gambling right?"

Voxen, still unsure, rose up only a little, her quills still flattened. She understood gambling; her former pack had done it all the time. Mostly as to when the Captain's temper would flare and who would be unlucky enough to get the blunt end of his wraith. So she nodded at her new claimed Kell.

"Good! You're gonna love this when we get back to the Tower." She grinned again. "My name is Shadow, by the way! Ghost summon the ship, we're gettin' the fuck outta here!"

"You got it. Though I'm not sure it's such a good idea bringing a Fallen with us to the Tower."

"BAH! It'll be fine! Voxen will stick close, unarmed."

"Alright..." The Ghost didn't sound convinced but it really could stop the Huntress from doing what she wanted.

"Alright, the ship is on its way, however we can't take our new found friend with us on the ship how I normally just pull you onto it, it's going to have to come close to the ground actually open the door to board. This area isn't a good place for it to land. The canyon is too narrow for your large ship you've insisted upon."

"Interesting, well get me my sparrow and we'll drive there." Shadow responded as if strange events like this happened on a daily basis for her, placing her helm back on, clasping the locks and pulling her hood back over it.

"Vox. Get your helmet back on, disarm and give me your hands out in front where I can see 'em." She spoke almost grimly pulling a rope off of her belt and beginning to unwind it. "I don't trust you quite yet not to stab me while I'm driving."

Voxen complied unhappily, following Shadow's instructions. The first part, well, she was already unarmed. Her weapons among the bodies and mess around them. She was afraid the Guardian would simply kill her if she attempted to do anything outside of what Voxen was ordered to do, as was the Fallen way. She put all four limbs out in front of her for the Huntress to bind her and she watched as the Huntress tied her four wrists up, all of them together. At the same time, the Ghost was summoning the Sparrow, and Voxen watched it materialize beside them. Once the Sparrow was solid, waiting to be driven, Voxen's Kell pulled her over to the vehicle prompting her to climb onto it and then tied the Vandal down to it towards the back end while still leaving just enough room for the Huntress to sit down and take the handles. The ghost vanished before Voxen's eyes as Shadow started up the Sparrow. Then they were off!

The ride was highly uncomfortable as they blazed down the semi-frozen landscape of the Mountain terrain. Voxen had to hunker down and lean over the smaller human while she steered the small vehicle downward along a trail, she could smell the human's unique scent right under her nostrils and the smell her cloak burning in the wind. The ride even more uncomfortable with her wounds still throbbing and bleeding. The Ghost, somehow, was nowhere in sight, yet she seemed to know where her ship was when the Ghost had been the one that called it from where ever it had been waiting for them. The Kell maneuvered over the rugged landscape with absolute easy, and the sheer speed of the small little Sparrow made poor Voxen forced to lean in closer to the human to hunker down to keep from ending up being dragged along side. The ride wasn't long, but it was felt that way as it was awkward and uncomfortable to be tied down and in close proximity to a member of a species that would normally have just put a bullet in her head.

They rounded around a mountain pass and out into the open, and up on top of a cliff awaited a very large Guardian ship, turned around engines going with the back open down and awaiting its passengers to board. Perhaps that's where the Ghost was, perhaps not, Voxen could only guess either way. They left behind the Mountain pass and the bodies of the pack that Voxen felt no bond to anyway.

The Sparrow slowed down as the thrusters died down as they made their way up the path of an old ruined road straight to the ship. Shadow pulled into a gentle turn onto the awaiting ship. As soon as the power to the sparrow was cut the Guardian threw herself off of the vehicle and the Ghost appeared beside her as if it had never left her side the entire time. Voxen gaped while she was untied from the Sparrow. She rose and stood, hunched over as the ship was never intended to carry a Fallen such as her aboard, her hands were still bound and she was tied to a metal bar on the back of the ship nearby a small seat in which Voxen would probably find her in as they took off.


	2. Chapter 2 Tower

"Now, until the Vanguard get a look at you, while we are in the Tower it's gonna be for your safety as well as everyone else's that you remain bound so you aren't perceived as a threat, and won't be shot down on sight the moment we land. Cool? As soon as I can trust you, I'll untie you and let you walk free beside me without trouble." Shadow explained sternly, almost as if she was talking to a youngling.

By this point Voxen was beginning to grow tired of being hunched over, but she wouldn't dare openly complain; so she nodded her head so they could be out of this ship faster and she didn't have to hutch over any longer than she had to. Even if it meant she'd be going straight into a human lair with no weapons and bound up with no chance of defending herself if they decided to kill her where she stood. She placed her life into the single pair of hands of her newly declared Kell.

Shadow seemed satisfied enough that Voxen understood what needed to happen, nodded and walked into the pilot's seat to strap in for take-off. Voxen made do with the small chair in which she was close enough to sit next to and flopped down onto it, finally able to stretch out her spine a bit and relax for the trip. Despite the prisoner treatment, the Vandal ignored the fact she could chew through the ropes and free herself if she wanted right now.

Voxen's eyes flashed open suddenly jumping upward ramming her head into the ceiling of the ship, hard, hard enough to make her vision spin and force herself to fall right back into the seat she somehow had managed to fall asleep in for the trip. Standing next to her was the Huntress, hovering over her with another one of those odd threatening- but not supposed to be threatening expressions, this time without teeth.

"Caught some Z, huh? Figured it was nice that we didn't use the hyper drive to make the trip shorter. Gave me a chance to chit-chat with the Ghost for a game plan, and apparently you a chance to snooze. Oh, and I patched up those wounds too." The Guardian chuckled at Voxen.

"We've, so let's head out." The Ghost chirped. "The upside to this is we finally get a chance to study a Fallen up close. The cryptarchs will be pleased, and worried..."

"Only follow Kell." Voxen looked at the Ghost, almost glaring at the small robotic A.I. She didn't want to stray far while literally in the den of what would be full of not just humans, but Guardians armed to their teeth with weapons to kill her with. Besides she wished to prove her loyalty to her new Kell and earn some trust. At least her wounds quit throbbing.

"Ladies. You're both pretty, comm'on, let's get this over with." Shadow stepped in. Reaching over and untying Voxen's rope from the ship so they could get on with it.

With the rope in hand the Huntress hit the bottom to open the door and made her way out of the ship and into the hanger. It was apparently wasn't that busy as there were only a few Guardians, and others humans, robots, and awoken that Voxen could only guess to be non-guardians with some purpose to be there, judging by the lack of gear they wore. At first all was going well. No one paid much heed to a Huntress and her Ghost's arrival, so used to the coming and goings of Guardians from the hanger. That was until they passed by a semi-humanoid robot that's single eye went from blue to red upon seeing Voxen.

" _ERROR, ERROR, INTURDER, INTUDER-ALERT! ALL NEAR BY GUARDIANS! SINGLE INTURDER TARGET SPOTTED!"_

And then all eyes turned onto them, and there was a rush of more Guardians that the Vandal hadn't seen before surrounding them with guns drawn and aimed at her. She shrank down, almost cowardly, noting that her odds weren't good. She looked to the Huntress that brought her here, and Shadow seemed unphased with all the guns in her direction but she had stopped.

"It's cool guys, she's tied up and I disarmed 'er. I got 'dis!" She exclaimed into the crowd of very agitated Guardians.

A large Titian stepped forward from the crowd, but refused to lower his weapon. He didn't wear his helmet, and Voxen could see his blue-grey skin and glowing eyes of an Awoken.

"Hunter..." He growled.

"Hey it's cool."

"What's the meaning of this?!"

"Calm your tits. She's with me. She surrendered and I thought it'd be a good chance to learn a bit about the Fallen enemy out there."

The Titian growled again, storming straight up to Voxen and put a large pistol-like weapon to her face. It was hard for her not to want to react as she wanted to, which was to defend herself and strike this strange awoken down.

Apparently, Shadow didn't like the gun in Voxen's face either, lashed out kicking the guardian between his legs without warning. He groaned, dropped the weapon and knees first hit the floor. Voxen had never seen anything like it; more certain now that she'd picked a worthy leader to follow under. The huntress kicked the pistol away from the fallen Guardian and didn't give him any more heed as her attention went towards the crowd.

She pointed to Voxen with her free hand. "MINE! Got it? She causes any problems I'll put a bullet into her skull, myself!"

The crowd went silent, and the guns went down or were put away entirely. There was some murmurs and glares shot there way, but apparently the hint was taken to back off and everyone went back about their business.

" _Hmmpt!_ I told 'em." The Huntress grumbled, and then started to make her way to the exit, pulling the Vandal along behind her.

"You didn't have to make your point like that against your fellow Guardians" The Ghost materialized beside her.

"He pissed me off."

"Apparently so. Glad to know you're still as violent as ever." A sing-song, almost light voice came from their right.

Making her way up a small flight of stairs was another Awoken, but female and a Warlock this time. Coming up to them without hesitation, and Shadow stopped to look over grinning when she saw the Awoken. Voxen was just confused...

"Raven! Hey! Saw that huh?"

"Yep. That was funny kicking that Titian in the balls. He's a jerk anyways; he doesn't take "No" for an answer."

"Ah, now I really don't feel bad for 'em. Thanks Raven."

"Anytime. Where you headed?"

"To the Vanguard. I'm going to get them to look Voxen over. She's stickin' around for a while I think."

"Voxen? You know its name... no wait _her_ name?! It's a she?!" The Awoken suddenly became excited, almost bouncing up and down.

"Yes, Vox's a chick. You get to make Draco cough up the money! But I wanna see it when you do." Shadow laughed, taking her helmet off and clipping it to her belt.

"YOU GOT IT! I'm coming with you! Once you get the okay from the Vanguard, we get to go straight to the lounge and go rub it in his face!"

"Sure." Shadow continued out. Walking through up a flight of stairs and through a couple of weird choke-points that seemed to be scanning them as they went through. Voxen was just trying her best not to be overwhelmed with what was happening around her. Still getting some dirty looks from the locals as she went past them.

They made their way out into an open platform, and to their left Voxen watched as ships flew past and the Large sphere hung in the background, the Traveler as it was called by the Humans, looking beaten and worn. The Vandal stopped a moment to take it in and wonder if perhaps the Traveler had visited her species once upon a time? Might make sense why the Servitors, the very thing that kept them alive, were of the same shape... She might not ever know the answer.

"Heeeeey, Vox? Anyone home?"

Voxen snapped out of her own thoughts and chirped as she looked towards the Huntress and Warlock that stared at her.

"Sorrrrrry my Kell... Was thinking."

"Huh. Okay. And stop with the Kell shit. You can call me by name, I won't bite." Shadow shook her head at the Vandal. Raven seemed amused by the whole thing.

"Kell huh? That's cool. Explains why she hasn't put up a fight."

"Yea, yea. Come on, let's get on with it."

Shadow lead them down a small flight of stairs and to the right, close by another Awoken that wrapped himself in a gold robe. He looked their way, about to say something, but he caught sight of Vox and his mouth just remained open and speechless as they continued to walk past him without heed. They took a left just before they got to another set of stairs that would take them up again, heading towards an opening that looked like they were going down instead. Heading down through, yet another set of stairs Voxen saw a Banner of sorts carved into a wall that awaited them. She guessed it had to be the Banner of the Guardians that lived here and she wondered if there were any other Houses of Guardians or if they all fell under the same one.

While her mind wondered again, she was lead through a hall, and missed the uneased and agitated glares she was getting as they walked on through.

"Hunter."

Voxen snapped her attention back on this strange world that opened around her. Apparently, someone had run the news over to the "Vanguard" first, as there Guardians stood before them to meet them. The one that had addressed them first was a very hostile looking Warlock that stood beside a grim-looking Titan, and another Hunter. The Hunter was hard to read as "he" was one of those human-like robots, these didn't just seem to rattle basic stuff, but to actually fight and move as if they were a self-thinking, living creature. His glowing eyes seemed to be focused curiously on her.

"You've caused quite the commotion Guardian. Why have you brought one of the enemy here?" The Titan demanded sternly.

Shadow merely shrugged her shoulders. "I was ambushed outside of the Mothyards by her group. They all died, save for her. She surrendered, in a way, and keeps callin' me her Kell for some strange reason. She hasn't tried to take a stab at me since, and I figured she'd be good to learn more about the Fallen from."

"That was... Risky, but gusty and smart. Not bad Hunter." The Exo replied, without removing his gaze from Voxen. To Voxen he seemed adventurous and a bit reckless, but so far he had the best reaction. "Your friend here got a name?"

"I am Voxen." Vox needed no prompting for that.

"A "she". By the way." Shadow added, and Raven giggled.

The Titan stepped forward, hands behind his back as if to convey he wasn't going to react violently, but merely getting a closer look at her. With Voxen bound, it meant to her that she didn't need to worry about being able to defense herself. He got right up in her face, well as much as he could anyway. For an Awoken or even a Titan, he was pretty large but he still fell short a few inches compared to Voxen's full height. She breathed in and took in his scent to remember him later. Then he stepped back and grunted.

"It doesn't seem to have any ill intent." He began. "Hunter, what do you plan on doing with it?"

" _She_ wants to stay in my company. I have no problem with it. Get her some new gear so she doesn't look fresh from a Skiff, so no one's trigger happy, and call it good." Shadow answered, glaring at the Titan.

"Make sure your Ghost keeps a record of it-... her, to send to us so that we may be able to study her behavior." The Warlock spoke, her voice sounded a little less hostile towards Voxen and her Kell.

"I suggest you also get the Speaker's approval too. Perhaps he can even give Voxen something to keep Guardians from shooting her without question." The Hunter leader added.

Shadow huffed, rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Humans' gestures were so strange to Voxen, something she would have to learn she supposed.

"Alright, we'll go bug that asshole..."

"You should show him more respect Huntress." The Warlock growled, narrowing her eyes at her.

"Why? I still remember when he gave me that long pointless speech when my Ghost first brought me to him, " _I could tell you"_ this that and the other, but no, I won't 'cuz I'm a dickwad and I love confusing new Guardians!" Shadow snapped back.

Voxen heard a snicker from Raven beside her. "She's got a point."

The Warlock leader looked very agitated again. "GO! Leave from my sight before I do something rash with you."

"Don't need to tell me twice. I'm out. Come on Vox!" Shadow turned and beckoned for Voxen to follow. She did as her Kell asked willingly, regardless whether she was still bound her not. Raven followed after them both, giggling again as they went.

As soon as they had come out from the entrance to the little tunnel Raven looked to Shadow "Nice job pissing off Ikora Rey. It's funny to see how irritated she can be when someone doesn't practically worship the Speaker."

"Eh, anytime."

They made their way to the other side of the tower, through a damp hall that had some standing water puddles in it, and down into a large cylinder room with a large ball in it that Voxen didn't understand. Up on top of another flight of stairs stood a human with a blank faceless mask and white robes, looking down at them as if he had been awaiting their arrival.

"Greetings, Guardians and... to our Fallen friend here." They were greeted at what Voxen assumed was the Speaker. "I had heard there was a Fallen in the tower, but I had not expected this. What brings you to me?"

"I'm sure you know more than you're letting on, Speaker, but Voxen wishes to stay in my company. The Vanguard agree it would be a good way to study the Fallen without getting shot at, they also figured you could help in making sure she isn't shot on sight while she's here." Shadow replied, her voice almost a growl.

"I can see this Fallen isn't hostile, different somehow as well, but however all I can offer in to assist in keeping it alive is to send you to Banshee and the Outfitter with a special request with my Blessing so as they don't give you any trouble." He answered as if Shadow hadn't been so aggressive in her tone with him. His voice and appearance, unsettled Voxen as if there was something beneath she couldn't quiet grasp about him.

"Alright, guess that's better than nothin'." Her Kell huffed, clearly irritated with him.

"I'll send my Ghost with you to stick with you until you leave the Tower. This way no one will bring the Vandal harm and none of the venders will give you trouble either." The Speaker sent forth his Ghost and it flew over to them, nodding a blinking its eye at them in greeting. "Good luck."

 **COMMENT O-O DO IT! YEEEEEEEES?**


	3. Chapter 3 New Gear

After a trip to a very disgruntled Weapon smith and the soft, old Outfitter, Shadow had placed in a special order to both of them while the Speaker's Ghost hovered closely to make sure all went smoothly. Both venders told them that what they needed would be done in a few hours, so Shadow led them around the Tower, despite the stares or words whispered behind them of obviously stunned and upset Guardians for Voxen's presence here. Eventually they went back towards the way they came in, but instead of going back aboard the ship they went down a set of stairs and into a small room with multiple places to it, a bar in the back, and the walls covered in skulls and trophies of war. Voxen even saw a few fallen helmets and skulls up there she shrank back a little bit nervously. The huntress walked over to a group of long seats and flopped down across from a bulky, large Exo Titan, and a tall and twiggy human, female Titan.

"Hey! Draco! Thyra! How's it goin'?" She greeted them both cheerfully despite the Exo's almost intimidating appearance.

The Exo appeared to have had been lost in his own thoughts until the smaller Titan tapped him on the head with her knuckles.

"Huh? Errrrrrrr, What?" He blinked and looked to over at them, his gazing meeting everyone's until they finally rested on Voxen.

"Why am I not surprised with you Shadow, who's been the one who's caused all the commotion around here. Been hard to think with all the extra noise..." He growled, sitting more up right and leaning back into his seat. Voxen noticed he reminded her almost of a Captain from House Wolves. He had brown fur lining around his collar and left shoulder guard, which gave him the look of a strong foe she wouldn't want to fight in close courters combat. His face's metal matched his black gold armor with black and blue, overall not a bad look for a him and one worth respecting even if he wasn't a Fallen.

The other one was surely a rookie or Dreg by Fallen standards. Her armor was mixed matched and she didn't have the same aura of experience like the rest of them had. However she noticed her Kell keeping a watchful eye on her even if the Titan didn't notice, Voxen would protect her too. See her rise in prowess like the others already had.

Raven pushed Voxen from behind, startling her and causing her to jump. It took all she had not to try to turn around to defend her.

"Sit Voxy! We don't bite!" She giggled.

Her Kell's gazed turned on the Vandal. "Yes, come on sit on the couch. We're going to be having a long chat. You included." She pated part of the long seat next to her, beckoning for Voxen to sit.

Voxen complied and took at seat next to the Huntress, sinking into the surprisingly soft _couch_. It was very relaxing and comfortable to her; she had not ever sat in something like this. Only Captains or higher ranks among the Fallen had luxuries.

The female Titan shook her head. "If it's going to be here, you might as well untie it. It won't get far here."

"Good point Thyra. I'll cut the rope." Shadow answered, pulling out her knife and slicing the rope before Voxen knew what happened. She could finally flex her hands again and move each of her four arms more comfortably again.

"DRACO!" Raven exclaimed, flopping on the other side of Voxen. "You lost our bet! Cough up!"

"What? No I have not. Fallen combatants are Male! You've yet to prove me wrong Raven." He grumbled back confidently.

"Actually. Voxen is here is a _she_." Shadow interjected in.

The Exo turned her way. "How do you know this?"

"I asked her, numbnuts. Vox. What gender are you?"

Voxen was taken back for suddenly being thrusted into the conversation. "Kell... I feeeeemale."

"See?"

The Exo growled and Voxen shrank back again in her seat.

Raven was bouncing in her seat, giggling, while Draco reached into a pouch on his sash around his waist, pulling out some shiny blue crystals and almost throwing them at the cheerful Warlock. "Here."

"WOOOPIE!"

Both the Huntress and female Titan laughed at the two of them, Voxen was also finding herself amused by the entire thing. Raven suddenly got up from her seat and ran off from the room. Probably to go spend her spoils of her gamble.

"Alright. Vox. Time for an old pow-wow." Shadow started her tone more serious now.

Voxen's head tilted to the side, confused. "Pow...wow?"

"A gathering of family, sharing of information, stories, that sort of thing." The huntress explained.

"I faaaaamily?" Voxen asked.

"Yes, just as much as anyone I give a shit about here."

Voxen made a pleased gruttle clicking noise. She was welcomed by her Kell and that felt good, better than she'd ever felt since she was born.

"So I'll start so you kinda get how this works." Shadow began, "I was found by my Ghost in North America, here on Earth, very far from the Tower, and safety. I hadn't been round for a long time before I was reborn but don't remember much. Obviously I'm a Huntress class, Gunslinger; I've a knack for guns, and sharp objects, particularly Tomahawks. I chose my name since I do not remember my own true one. Draco you go."

The Exo grunted before starting. "I a dash zero, DRAC Zero or Draco for short. I remember that, but as for being an Exo, we don't remember much... I've tried putting a bullet in my head a few times to recover some of my memories; however I've not had any success in it. Only fuzzy scraps. I was found by my Ghost here in the city, just in time to fend off a raid attempt by the House of Devils. I assisted in their defeat. I am a Titan class, Defender; I must protect those around me. It's in my wires to do so. Thyra, your turn."

"Okay. I guess here goes. I'm Thyra; it took me awhile to remember my name. I was found outside the Cosmadrone. I'm really good a punching shit, but still really new to this... It's only been a few months since I've been raised. Titan class, Striker. Guess it's your turn Vox."

Voxen nodded, taking a minute to word her story carefully in the human language. "I, Voxen Ghostwind. Former of House Winter. As you say, Stealth Vandal. I good at sneaking behind enemy, seeing, scouting, and... striking, yes? Also, was translator. I knew more of human tongue than rest of Crew. Even Captain only knew few words." Her hands balled up into fists." Did not like House Winter, did not care for Captain. Was born into House. Earned my docked arms back. Tired of being Whirlwind scattered... Wish to be strong again. To be Fallen no more, but proud Eliksni once again." She met each Guardian's gaze, one at a time. "I am done."

"That's good Vox. Good to know where your heart is." Shadow replied, ever watching the Vandal. "There's a small handful of Fallen... Or Eliksni right? That won't outright kill Guardians or people. House of Wolves belongs to the Queen of the Reef but they're hostile to anyone entering the reef, and only answer to the Queen. Clayde-6, the Hunter rep for the Vanguard you met earlier, knows one personally. Variks, the Loyal. I think he's from a different House, but never met 'em myself. Clayde likes to joke about Variks always trying to bargain with him for his ship."

"Is that why the Wolves did not join in the Twilight Gap?" Voxen asked curiously. She had always heard the mighty House of Wolves had simply betrayed them all instead of joining the fight that could have been won by the Fallen.

"Yea, apparently, they decided to pick a fight with the Queen for the Reef, aaaaaaand got their asses handed to them." She shrugged. "I don't know much more than that."

"Asses hanged to them?"

"Oh, forgot. That's a human expression for they lost pretty badly."

"Hmmmm makes sense now. Surprising they fell so easily to Reef Queen." Voxen muttered.

"She's a lady not worth pissing off." Shadow agreed.

Voxen shook her head and then decided to change the subject, her curiosity on something else now. "What is the Awoken's tale?" She asked.

"We think her Ghost let her fall on her head a time or two. She's ditsy." Thyra chuckled.

"Yea... Pretty much. She's a bit on the eccentric side. Very happy, go lucky. Don't piss her off though. She's not afraid to smack you with a void blast to the face." Shadow explained. "Her Ghost somehow found her out towards the Reef, how it managed to get out there, we're not sure, however it managed to rig a ship to get Raven back. She sees odd visions at times, but otherwise can't remember anything from her past."

Voxen nodded, taking in the information. Her new crew was a strange bunch, but they felt so welcoming. Her Kell even allowed her to keep her rank so far, and hadn't threatened to dock her arms. She didn't know if the humans had the technology to do that procedure correctly and didn't care to find out either.

 _"Hunter: Shadow Fear-Striker, your special order has been completed. Please see Banshee-44 at your earliest convenience."_

Shadow looked up at the air and smiled. "Cool. Vox, come with me, we got some stuff to pick up."

"Yes, Kell!" Voxen rose up onto her feet quickly.

"I meant it when I said; kill the "Kell" Title please. Fuck... use Ma'am, Sir, my name or anything else please."

"Apologies...Fear-Striker..." Voxen shrank down to Shadow's height, respectfully and submissively.

"I guess that's better." She sighed.

They made their way to Banshee out in the Tower Center, DRAC-0 and Thyra staying behind at what Voxen now knew was called a "bar."

Banshee grumbled at them as they approached. "Ah. There you are. I managed to complete the task you've given me."

He turned his back to them for a moment going and grabbed a couple of weapons from off the table that sat against the wall. He turned around and laid then at for them on the front Counter for them. Before Voxen and Shadow lay a large assortment of weapons, a large pistol, a longer gun that Voxen thought looked like a Wire Rifle, Four Vandal swords and what looked to be a couple of Daggers. Her eyes looked wide at the assortment.

"As requested. A Hand cannon, with some Fallen tech mixed into it, A sniper Rifle, again some with Fallen tech, Four Vandal swords, complete with Sheaths for them and belts to attach, and a couple of Throwing Knives for good measure. You're friend here will be well armed. The belts are also marked with a Vanguard Hunter Badge, so while your Fallen friend will always be known as a friend, even on radar of other Guardians."

"Thanks Banshee. How much do I owe you?" Shadow smiled, clearly impressed. Voxen was getting used to human body expressions.

"You owe me nothing. The Vanguard paid for my services already. Apparently, you got Clayde-6's attention." He replied.

"Damn, remind me to thank him sometime."

"Yea... Well gear up, the Old Lady's waiting on you." He grumbled.

Shadow looked over at Voxen. "Go, ahead, they're yours now."

Voxen's eyes got wide, she never expected this. This looked to be good gear too, even if it would take some time getting used to the different tech. She unfastened her cloak from her former house, letting the sigma hit the ground. She reached for the first belt. Attaching it around her waist, and then attaching two swords and the pair of knives to it, the second belt went around her chest and shoulders, allowing to attached the second pair of swords and her new Sniper to it as well. Voxen tested the feel of the weapons and the belts attached to her, feeling confident she could quickly grab any of them in a flash for any situation. Finally she attached the Hand Cannon to her the upper half of her leg within easy reach to draw it, standing, or crouched. All of the gear, felt strange, but somehow right. She was very pleased to have it, a cheerful clicking sound escaping from her throat.

"Thank you, Fear-striker." She said happily, nodding and then turning her attention on the Weapon Smith. "Thank you as well. Good craft you have, friend!"

"Your welcome... friend." The Exo replied back.

"Alright Vox, come on, let's get on over to Eva. If you liked this, you're going to really like what I got in store from her." She turned and walked off with excitement in her step, and Voxen cheerfully followed.

Eva was a little more pleasant a mood than Banshee had been, which only encouraged the pair's good mood. The older human greeted them with a pleasant and warming smile. "Welcome back you two!"

"Hey! So whatcha' got for us?" Shadow greeted her back.

"You are going to enjoy this, my dear; I have made you a truly beautiful master piece." Eva announced with pride. She pulled out a long black cloak with a new emblem that Voxen had never seen before. The emblem done in a light blue color really popped well against the black thread of the body of the cloak, and appeared to be two weapons crossed over each other with a feather coming off of each of the ends of the "handles". The cloak had long black feathers and what appeared to be teeth around the neck of the hood. It looked very intimidating, and Voxen felt extreme pride in seeing it somehow.

"This one is yours, my Fallen friend." Eva said, handing the cloak out to the Vandal with another pleasant smile.

Voxen accepted it with a nod, carefully taking it from the old human's hands, and then donning the cloak on herself. She even could wear the hood up if she so choose, even if that meant narrowing her field of vision.

Then Eva brought out another smaller cloak, of the same design, and handed it out towards her Kell. Shadow also gracefully accepted it, and removed her old cloak, having her Ghost appear and the old red cloak suddenly vanishing into thin air while Shadow put on the new matching cloak.

"Twin Axes, with the Feathers, you are amazing Eva! This is awesome!" She said, inspecting herself with the cloak on.

"Look Voxen! We match! Hopefully this will help let both Guardian, and Fallen alike know that you are with me. No one can mistake that."

Voxen chirped. "Indeed. I am proud to be a part of this House."

"Good, happy to know that!"

"That's not all Guardian; I also have a shader for our friend here. You two will look like proud sisters when I am finished!"


	4. Chapter 4 Ether Run

Voxen hovered over Shadow in the small cock pit of the ship, proudly donning her new look of Black, gold, and hint of light blue. She never felt more proud of herself, and crew until this moment. Week had blown by, and she had stuck around at the Tower with the whole Crew, getting familiar with them and learning more of their language and more of how they operated and fought. They had gone out of the Tower and even trained on a small private "courtyard", as they called it, of sorts so that she got chance to familiarize herself with her new weapons and how to wield them effectively.

She also learned each Guardian's battle tactic, no two's the same, and Voxen found it very intriguing. Her Kell, Shadow fought almost recklessly, sometimes getting closer to hack at targets, other times falling back and shooting other targets in the head with frightening accuracy. Draco took a very protective and, defensive approach, shooting targets to keep them at bay, but using a "Ward of Dawn", to protect himself, forcing enemies closer to him to land some vicious melee attacks. Raven could dominate large groups of enemies and control the battlefield around her with her own Void energy, while preferring a mid-range tactic with opponents. While the last, and from what Voxen could tell was the newest to combat, Thyra, charged in haphazardly head first, but somehow managed to hold her own with deadly extreme close quarters combat. And if this Titan found herself surrounded she pounded into the earth with a devastating lightening attack. However Voxen always found herself amused when Thyra challenged the Huntress. Always losing to Shadow's wind-breaking fast movements that managed to get in and pin Thyra each time. It made the young Guardian very irritated for a time afterward, while her Kell just seemed very entertained and amused with it.

Today, Shadow had explained it would just be her and Voxen going out today to go gather supplies, including the much needed ether that Voxen needed to breathe in order to survive and keep her strong. The more they got ahold of the bigger, and stronger Voxen could become, so it was on the top of their list today to collect before the little supply she had left was all used up. Her Kell even went out of her way to convince a very disgruntled human called the "Ship Rite" to set up a seal in the ship that could release ether in the ship, should she need it. She also even managed to get someone to set up her own quarters to go to within the Tower, again capable of entering ether into the air for Voxen, so Vandal did not have to have her helm on while she rested.

Her wounds had also had gotten a chance to heal over the time they had spent training and Shadow had spent arranging things to accommodate Voxen. It was the most kindness she had ever been shown, and yet she didn't see it as weakness as she normally would have, it almost made her feel a bit stronger knowing that she wasn't going to be miserable with her time with them.

"We will be dropping out of slip space shortly. After that it won't take long for us to drop in. Voxen's now set up to be pulled and dropped from the ship without exposing it to the enemy down there." The Ghost rattled on through the ships coms while piloting the ship.

"Awesome, Voxen, you heard the little light, time to gear up!" Shadow looked over shoulder at Voxen.

"I ask you not to do that!"

Voxen chirped, amused with the pair. Then stepped back out of the cockpit to grab her weapons and put them on. Shadow grabbed her hand cannon, _Thorn_ , from its place at her hip, and appeared ready to drop.

"Alright, so here's the mission today. Ether for you is priority one. We will collect as much as we can, hopefully we can capture a servitor and take its supply, that would be ideal to last you awhile, but ya know punching a few Devils in the face for their rations isn't out of the question either. Priority two, is disrupting the Devil's stronghold in the area, and take out the Baron there. Varikis, the Crafty, has been a pain in the ass to Guardians sent in by the Vanguard trying to stop the House of Devils from controlling more turf on Earth. Copy?"

"Copy, yes?" Voxen replied with a determined nod.

"Good. Ghost, ETA?"

"We've arrived. Dropping us down in five... four... three...two...one..."

Voxen felt like her whole body was being sucked into a vacuum for a brief moment, and the next thing she knew, they were on the ground, in a wild overgrown landscape. It was very cold, and the ground in the white, soft, yet also cold and wet, powdery like substance she had come to know as "snow". It crunched quietly under her boots, and covered the land around them like a cloak. The weather here always fascinated her. It made her wonder if the home planet her kind had left behind so very long ago, before the whirlwind, had had snow like this. Or any weather close to Earth's for that matter.

Shadow went over to a snow-covered beacon that protruded from the ground and tapped a button on it.

"This is Huntress Shadow checking in with the Tower. I have arrived at the location in Old America, Alaska, WinterPine region, coordinates will follow."

She dabbed at more controls that Voxen couldn't see, nor would she understand. She still had much to learn about the humans if she would keep working with them.

"Alright Voxen, eyes up! We gotta make sure we aren't walking into a trap, though I'm doubtful the Devils know we are here." Shadow stood, drawing her hand cannon and keeping it at the ready to fight at any moment.

"Devils know only war. Too eager to fight... with other Houses or Guardian, they do not care. No Fallen even knows who the Devils call Kell..." Voxen rattled back what she knew of House Devils.

"Sadly we don't know much more about them either. Which is why it's important to take out key targets like this, it gives us a window to learn more about them." Shadow answered back quietly. She led the way with her hand cannon pointing them on.

Stalking through the snow with muffled, soft, crunching sounds, behind Shadow Voxen had her Sniper up, keeping an eye out to see if anything caught her eye down her scope. The unusual pair crept on through the white and evergreen trees. The cold air nipped at any opening it could on Voxen in ways that she wasn't used to, but she carried on, finally understanding why the Wolves were so keen on fur cloaks and thicker under armor. Plus with the blue and black armor, they could easily blend into the landscape at a distance; making them harder to spot and impossible to track in a storm.

Shadow suddenly stopped and crouched down; raising her first up in a crew that Voxen knew meant to halt where she was. She stopped and crouched down, mimicking the Huntress with both pairs of eyes locked on her.

"Look up ahead... Smoke. Probably a fire, which means we are close." The huntress pointed and whispered just barely loud enough for the Vandal to hear.

Voxen clicked twice and nodded, signaling she understood to be deathly silent as they continued.

Shadow began to move again through the trees, but still kept her body as low as she could without crouching to be invisible as possible, while Voxen activated her cloaking as she follow behind.

As they made their way up a small hill, it suddenly flattened out at the top and the trees thinned out ahead of them into a clearing. There they could see the source of the smoke; a large fire in the center of what could very easily be described as a Fallen camp next to the ruins of a small building that still somehow had most of the walls still standing and most of its roof still providing shelter.

They could hear chatter as they got closer from the camp's occupants, a combination of hisses, clicks and whines mixed in with the Fallen language. Shadow crouched down as low as she could and hid behind a young evergreen pine that sheltered her from the eyes of the Dregs that were supposed to be keeping watch. However to Voxen, it appeared they were more preoccupied with a small duel that appeared to be going on nearby the fire between a couple more dregs with only shock daggers, swinging and swiping at each other. One would hiss at one and take a swipe the other would dodge and click angrily back and take a swipe back. The rest of the dregs and a couple of Vandals sat near the fire and watched the two duel it out. Two vandals stood outside the broken building doorway, or what could have been just a large hole in the way, there was no telling as it was too worn out to tell, guarding something inside, where the angry growls of a Fallen could be hear inside. Voxen assumed it would be one of higher rank such as a Captain, or even the Baron they needed to stalk. All the troops she could see carried the red threads and armor of House Devils.

Voxen looked around from the troops to the supplies they had. Several crates marked with fallen symbols were scattered about the camp. Some were used a places to sit upon by a couple of the Devil Vandals. Over next to the building was a large stack of them covered in netting to make it harder to get into the contents of the crates. Several mines and seniors were wrapped away in netting bags and laid out off to the side. She tried to peg that their ether supplies were probably in the crates next to the building, near where the Captain probably was to prevent the rest of the crew from taking more than they were allowed. However she wondered where their servitor was... It was odd... however there were too many unknowns that the Vandal could not see, and she was weary to leap into a fight knowing less than a Dreg...

" _Vox!_ "

The vandal damn near jumped out of her armor. She looked around but her Kell was still quite the ways away from her for Voxen to have heard her so clearly.

" _I had them implant coms into your helmet so we can chat without the need to stand side by side so don't flip shit."_

"Apologies, Kell..." Voxen answered.

 _"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Not so loud. They might hear you... And I told you not to call me that!"_

"Apologies," She whispered back. "But you are Kell."

Voxen heard a sigh back from the Huntress and a few moment of silence followed.

 _"Never mind. LL is detected some very powerful ether readings coming from that old abandoned house. We agree it's too large to be one Captain in there. So we are assuming it's the Baron, the Captain and maybe an Ether runner."_

 _"Yes. You should proceed with extreme caution. Taking on a large Fallen crew like this is reckless without a plan."_ Voxen heard the ghost add in.

Voxen crouched down in the snow, thinking over the best plan of attack while keeping her eyes on the camp. However she was still used to fighting in a pack herself, and most of her good attack tactics were for not without one. She clicked her mandibles with deep thought, trying to take into account for the Guardian's strong fighting abilities while still figuring in the new weapons she had herself. Would it be wise to strike with her blades? Stand back with her new human wire rifle? Then something came to mind and she accessed the coms in her helmet.

"Kell! You has Wire rifle, yes? Cover me, I stay cloaked and try to take out as many as I can without sound, good plan?" Voxen chattered excitedly over to the Huntress.

 _"Sounds like a plan. Go for it, I got your back."_ Shadow responded, _"And we call Wire Rifles, Sniper Rifles, or just Snipers."_

"Tanks." Voxen was practically glowing from the praise. Now she had a chance to prove her combat prowess in actual battle. She would show she was worthy of respect.

Voxen crept forward as silently as she could towards the camp, pulling out her daggers with her lower arms, while her upper arms would assist her in controlling her targets. Thankfully, the entire camp was crawling with her kind, so her scent would be masked by the other Fallen in camp, and her targets easy kills since most still had their attention on the dreg fight.

She kept the shadows of the trees once she broke through the tree line, eyeing her first unaware target standing next to a supply crate. It raised its fists in the air, encouraging the fight on with an excited cry.

"Fight to the death! Lowly Dregs, prove yourself! Show you are worth fighting beside!" It cried in its own language. His back to Voxen as she stalked her prey ever closer.

As soon as she was less than a dagger's length away she slowly rose up, and then with one quick motion grabbed a tube feeding ether into his mask. Cutting off the precious life without wasting it, while also grabbing him by the head, jerking it back and then slashing his throat open in a flawless deathblow. The light in the Devil Vandals eyes went dark and its body began to crumple down, Voxen carefully moving with the dead weight; easing it down against the crate so it appeared he was merely sleeping on the job, if any other of the crew noticed.

 _"Nice kill, keep it up, I won't let em get ya."_ Voxen heard from Shadow through the coms. She looked back the way she came, seeing a bright light looking her way, and she nodded, and silently went back to her task.

She snuck up on several of the guards without a sound. Each one meeting the same fate as the first Vandal she took down, all of them silently crumpling to the ground without the rest of the crew noticing. It surprised Voxen none of them smelled the blood that she was spilling from each guard she took out. She had noticed the smell of blood as soon as she had gotten into the clearing, but they must be really bloodthirsty House if they did not even flinch when more of their blood was in the air.

Voxen had finally picked off most of the unwary guards, even some of the dregs and vandals that had been closer to the fire, without notice, and then everything seem to go to hell. One of the Vandal guards that had been standing guard outside the ruined structure was hovering over one of the bodies, and it let out a howl, and all of the camp suddenly fell very silent.

"We have an intruder you pathetic fool! We are under attack! Find them! Bring whatever did this to the void!" It screeched, and the entire camp seemed to suddenly busy in a new energy of rage and blood lust, all weapons out and searching for Voxen... She quickly, backed herself up against the structure, trying to make sure she wasn't spotted. There was nowhere to go, her cloaking device helped her stay out of sight, but it didn't make her completely invisible; especially if they were looking for her.

She was trapped, and her hearts pounded... maybe if she made a break for it she could make it to the trees before they spotted her and opened fire... maybe they'd shoot her down...

 _ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHIP!_

A Sniper round zipped through the camp, going clean through the Vandal who had alerted the camp's skull. It crumpled to the ground with a heavy _thud_ , and the remains of the crew, turned to look at the corpse that was left. Then they all opened fire in the trees where the shot had come from in a huge unorganized frenzy.

Apparently, all the noise had rose to the attention of the higher Fallen inside as she head a roar come from the door of a large Devil Captain. Voxen looked around the corner and watched as he pulled out a shrapnel launcher, and begun firing into the trees as well, slowly advancing towards her kell's position. Even with the numbers Voxen had killed, there were still many more than hadn't fallen yet. She worried that the numbers would overwhelm the Huntress, and acted upon it to protect her Kell from the largest threat on the field. The Captain. She roared a battle cry herself and charged with two long swords in her stronger arms and pulled out two hand canons with her lower ones, firing at the captain as she closed the distance hoping to diminish his arc shield before she got in too close. She abandoned her cloak, revealing herself to the camp of Devils as she charged. The Captain, teleported a short distances away, and turned her way with a roar.

"YOU SHALL DIE VANDAL!" It cried, raising a fist at her and then charging toward her. She raised her swords above her head to defend herself from his strong from one of his upper arms, flying back and she was lucky enough to land on her feet sliding back enough to ground herself. But it was too late the Captain came at her with another fist and his weapon, prepared to blast her away. She pulled the trigger on her hand cannons, and rewarding with the clicks of an empty mags. The vandal realized with horror; she hadn't reloaded her weapons... Her eyes got wide as she dropped the guns and reached for her second pair of swords.

"DIE TRATIOR!" The Devil captain roared as he easily closed the distance with a short teleport, his shield just barely still standing and his launcher raised to her head for the kill. This was it for her!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIP!

A sniper round ripped through the last of the Captain's shield, and hi the back of his helm, causing the large fallen leader to stagger for a split moment, and causing his shot with the launcher to miss his intended target. The shrapnel from the weapons, grazing through Voxen's bottom right arm, and she flinched herself from the pain. She couldn't stop now! Voxen charged with three swords raised, and leapt, slashing through the Captain's armor, and taking his head clean off his shoulders. She hit the ground hard, tumbling in the dirt and snow. Then she heard the satisfying thump of his head hitting the ground, and then the rest of him following.

Voxen rose up from the earth, and faced the rest of the crew that remained. They had at some point stopped firing to see the fight between their Captain and Voxen. She roared victoriously, clenching her wounded arm as lifeblood dripped into the snow.

"My House, STRONG!" She cried.


	5. Chapter 5 Cough Up

. "You dare challenge House Devils?! You are nothing, weak Dreg."

"Maybe, but she's not alone!"

Shadow stepped out into the clearing with her hand cannon, Thorn, raised and aimed at him.

"Guardian?!" The Baron roared at Voxen. "You are a traitor to you own, Vermin! You have no House!"

"Hey! Ass-hat!"

A round from Thorn was fired at his head, his shield deflected the dagger round and it hit the ground, but the Huntress now claimed the Baron's attention.

"That Vandal is MINE!"

"Then it is weak!" He charged her, and Shadow raised her strange weapon to the challenge. It appeared to be made of what Voxen had come to know as wood, a material from this planet, and some sort of metal at one end, making it a top heavy weapon. The weapon was similar to the weapon on their cloaks. She shot a few more rounds from Thorn in one hand at his shield, as Voxen decided to begin taking down the remains of the crew. She cloaked, and started killing each Vandal and Dreg that remained, one by one. A couple retreated into the forest, firing as they left, and abandoning their comrades to their fate. Voxen came sword for sword with another Vandal, but she was stronger despite her wound, heaving her top swords up into the air to parry the blow, and then used her third uninjured arm to stab into the chest that the Devil Vandal had exposed. Then, it too crimpled to the ground lifelessly.

Voxen checked around for any more opponents that could try to pick off Shadow while she remained locked in combat with the Baron. Once clear she looked to Shadow, almost dancing around him in combat, hacking away at its shield, while moving too quickly for the large Baron to get a hit in on the smaller human. The Baron roared his frustration into the sky, raising her three arms up, and then crashing them down into the ground with all his might, causing Shadow to fly backward. She landed off on her feet and stumbled while Voxen launched herself toward the fight. The Baron took his sudden advantage over his much quicker prey, and swung two powerful arms into the Huntress, sending her reeling back into the ground with a pained cry. Her Ghost pulled itself out into the air, hovering closely to her... Voxen leapt into the air with all four swords drawn with a cry of her own; stabbing straight into the Baron's unprotected backside, through his shields and straight into flesh. The Devil Baron roared again, this time with pain, hopelessly reaching its arms back to remove Voxen from its back. One arm grabbed her by the cloak and flung her like nothing more than a piece of scrap into the ground. Voxen watched from the dirt as the Baron stepped forward over her... and then suddenly the light in his eyes died out and collapsed on top of Voxen; dead with her swords still protruding from its back...

They had won! The Baron was no more! Voxen sighed in relief for a moment just lying there, stuck under the large body of the Baron...

She heard pained laughter coming from behind her head, but she couldn't move to see her Kell limping her way.

"Nice going Vox." The Huntress said as she slowly made her way to the squished Vandal. "He almost had me... LL was worried he was going to have to revive my ass..." She chuckled as if it were nothing to her. She grabbed Voxen by the underside of her top pair of arms and yanked her out from under the corpse, then fell back onto her backside to the ground with a sigh. "Thanks."

Voxen gathered herself to her feet and crouched next to the Guardian, beaming with pride from her Kell's praise. "My Kell protect me, I protect my Kell." She replied.

"I said-... oh never mind. I got your back Vox."

"That was close." The ghost's robotic voice chirped dryly.

"Yes, it was, but it's fine." Shadow said, getting to her feet.

"But..."

"I'm fine!" She cut the ghost off.

Voxen rose up to her full height, examining the Huntress carefully. What had only taken the two of them to take down a large raiding force, with a Baron no less, would normally had taken another House of Fallen another raiding force of their own to defeat, if they were lucky. Yet here they stood, and it appeared that Shadow only suffered minor injury and Voxen herself mostly bruising from the inside of her armor. She was truly impressed.

"Alright, let's find some ether for you Vox. Ghost gather up as much Ether as you can for storage, k?" She said, heading over to the netting-covered crates while trying to hide the limp in her walk from before.

"You are stubborn..."

"You know it." Shadow replied back.

Voxen went to retrieve three of her four swords from the back of the dead Baron, pulling out each one, and then wiping the blood away on the Devil's cloak before sheathing each weapon. Her last sword, the one that had been ripped from her grasp when she took the blow to her arm, was in pieces on the ground, having been unable to withstand the abuse. She shook her head in a human way; a bit she had picked up from being around the Guardians, and went over to another vandal corpse and raided of one of its swords. The dead did not need weapons of the living. She stopped and hovered over the body for a few moments...

"Vox, what are you doing?" Shadow called over.

"Probably raiding the corpses..." The Ghost replied.

"Seriously?"

Voxen looked up over at the two. "I wish to remember this. It is good luck. Take prize from fight, yes?"

"Go for it." Shadow answered.

Voxen retrieved the helm off of the Vandal and raised it up for them to see. "Has plan for this prize!" she then attached it to her belt and went over to Shadow, chirping cheerfully.

"Nice. Well then, let's get the ether you need Vox so we can head home."

"Yessss! Well-earned victory!" Voxen exclaimed, doing what her kind did best, rummaging and scavenging what she could through the crates of ether supplies. She pulled the netting away from the crates and leapt up on top of the stack without hesitation and ripped away the lid of the closest one revealing the contents inside; dozen of small cylinder containers, each holding previous life-air inside in concentration to be plugged into the any Fallen's armor as needed. Her mandibles clicked excitedly together as she began to grab as many as she could.

"Whoa, hold on there! LL can assist you with that." Shadow chuckled as she watched the Vandal pillage the crates. The Ghost blinked its eye and nodded, going up to the crates alongside Voxen and begun collecting them into its storage system. Voxen helped it along by lifting the containers up for the ghost to grab and disappear in front of her. It fascinated her that the small little machine could do such a thing, but she certainly found it to be useful.

"I cannot guarantee that we can grab all of the ether they've got stored here, and they've got quite a considerable amount, no doubt because of the Baron that had been in command here and the large amounts of Fallen contributing to holding this area." the Ghost chattered idly to no one as it collected the ether as fast as it could.

Shadow assisted too, opening crates and tossing aside lids as they went. She even removed the tarp off of a Pike that huddled against the wall. "This could be useful..."

Voxen looked up from her scavenging and caught sight of the pike that the Huntress had revealed. "OOOOOoooooooo, yessssssss, very very!" She chirped excitedly, leaping down from the stack and rushed over to the pike. Examining the machine closely, Voxen noticed it was in decent condition, probably simply used only for scouting and lucky it had never seen heavy combat. That was until the Vandal found the reason... A symbol in red cloth that told her that this Pike had once belonged to the Baron they had just slain... another prize of the hunt. This pleased Voxen and she would gladly take the ownerless vehicle as her own. It was not the whispered heavy pikes that were rumored to be owned only by House Wolves, but it would still serve Voxen well. Her mandibles clicked in a pleased tone.

"I like. Thank you, my Kell..." Voxen turned around and addressed Shadow in a respectful tone.

"Good, maybe I can catch a ride with you and save us time back to the ship..." Shadow answered, amused with Voxen's excitement.

The Ghost came up to Shadow and blinked at her. "I've gotten it all. By my calculations, for a single Fallen, this should last for six months or better. There was enough for an army in the short term. However we are being asked to return to the City as soon as possible."

"That doesn't sound good. Get the ship to pick us up and head straight back to the Tower." Shadow ordered the Ghost. It complied with a simple blink of its eye and a nod. "Was already directing the ship our way."

Voxen could hear the rumbling sound of a ship headed for them. The sound getting louder and louder until Shadow's ship lay above them. Voxen watched the Ghost materialize the Pike, assuming it was being pulled up onto the ship, or where ever the Ghost stored things it collected. Then it looked at them and she suddenly felt the lurch of being pulling onto the ship. Then next thing her eyes saw was the interior of the Huntress's ship, looking at the back of the cockpit. Shadow was already behind the controls, even if there wasn't much point. She had learned well by now that the Ghost did most of the piloting.

"Alright, let's get back to the Tower." Shadow said with a grim voice.

They made their way down into the entrance of the Vanguard. Already Voxen could hear raised and agitated voices; and as they got closer she could slowly make out the words they were saying.

"...-this isn't up for debate!"

"And why not?!"

"Because, for all we know this could be a ploy. A Trap!

"Her teams already been to the realm of the Awoken before, and the Queen helped her, without that assistance that team may not have made it into the Black Garden."

"If we send them I'll be short two Titans on the wall. We are spread thin as it is."

"We're all spread thin..." The female Warlock, stopped and noticed both Shadow and Voxen's approach to the table. "Ah. Here they are now. Welcome Hunteress."

Shadow simply strolled over to the table without hestitation. "Sup' guys. What's this about?"

Voxen hovered close to her Kell while she spoke, still uncertian around the three leaders of the Vanguard.

The Exo Hunter turned to Shadow. "Got a situation... Well you do. Remember that favor you owe the Queen? Well, she's calling you up on it. She just sent a member of the Awoken Guard to bring you and your team back to the Reef. Word has the Kell of the House of Wolves has escaped and in his wake caused a massive insurrection from the Fallen the under the Queen. They killed a bunch of Awoken and took off."

"What's that got to do with me?" Shadow replied.

"Well, we aren't sure. These two don't want you or your team to go. I don't like it either, but truth is. She asked for you personally and you're team has the most knowledge on the Fallen, especially with your Vandal friend around. You have an advantage no one else does."

"Well you've got two points there... So why the fuss?"

The Titan placed his hands on the table in front of him as he addressed Shadow. "The problem is, is you're taking two Titans and a Warlock from other Missions and Duties, going to the edge of the Light to the Reef, and we had no idea what you'll be doing out there, and for how long. We cannot risk putting you out on a wild goose chase."

Shadow leaned forward on the table as well, appearing to be unfazed by the large awoken titian. "But you all admit I'm the best for the job. Plus with this new Kell out there, this could be a problem. This could also be an opportunity to finally get some eyes on the Reef as well."

"While having eyes on us as well." Replied the Warlock dryly.

"I'm pretty sure they already do." Shadow pointed out. "At least we can have thousands of spies of our own, in plain view, and they don't even have to do anything more than report back whatever they're doing."

"Can't argue with that." The Exo hunter chuckled.

"I kinda gotta go anyway. I owe the bitch... 'Cuz apparently telling Guardians how to get into and where said entrance is is beyond the Speaker..."

Voxen jumped as the large Titan threw his hands onto the table, causing the table to slam to the ground and break from the force. "DISRESPECTFUL HUNTER!" Shadow remained unphased, the other side of the table flying up just a breath away. Voxen shook herself and reached for her swords and screeched a warning at the Awoken as she hovered protectively beside Shadow.

"Chill out big guy." The Exo once again interjects.

"I will not stand by while you allow one of your hunters disrespects the Speaker, Clayde-6, it is unacceptable!"

Shadow put her hand on Voxen, lowering her raised sword. The vandal turned to look at her with puzzlement and the Huntress simply shook her head with an amused smile.

The Exo put his hands up, defensively. "Hey now, my hunter? I think you forget, Hunters do whatever they want! Unlike Titans it's not possible to completely organize all of us under one leader. You know very well I don't even lead them! I represent them here at the Vanguard nothing more. So getting mad because she points out an obvious flaw, isn't really worth the energy."

Voxen watched as the Titan let out a big breath and his entire posture became rigid and composed again... as if he hadn't just lost his temper at her Kell...

"I guess you are right... Fine. Guardian. Leave; gather your team and get answer the call. Maybe you might learn to be a bit grateful out there in the dark of the Reef..."

"Doubtful, but I'll take it and go before you break something else." Shadow taunted and turned to leave, leaving Voxen in her wake to stare at the three Vanguards before deciding it wasn't best to linger here with them and running after her.


	6. Chapter 6 Headache

_DRAC-0, MARS, EXCLUSION ZONE._

"It's bad enough I have to watch over a young Titan, as per orders, but babysitting you too? How'd I get so lucky..." groaned the Exo from behind his cover, which was only a solid piece of rock that jutted up from the surface of the desert planet, trying to save himself from the incoming fire from a Sand Eater patrol they had decided to stroll by.

Strolling really wasn't the correct word, if to be correct; was more like chasing down Raven the warlock as she laughed and giggled like a child while running wild through the canyon, giving the Exo the machine version of a headache he didn't want. The young Titan, Thyra now had concealed herself behind another stone with her new scout rifle. DRAC-0 knew he didn't have much time before the woman engaged the Cabal with some return fire. Which meant he had to take action before she attempted to charge into combat as was her habit.

"Thyra!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Do not move from your position!"

"Why not!?"

"The enemy firepower will focus on you and you won't last long. What if they snatch your Ghost before you can be revived? We cannot afford to lose Guardians to carelessness!" Barked the Exo sternly. "Think before you shoot! What is the best course of action here?"

"I don't know! I know I trust my fists! And that's what I'm good at!" The woman cried back, leaning forward despite orders as she prepared to assault the patrol.

"Thyra! Stay. PUT!" Growled DRAC-0.

Thyra launched herself from the shelter of the rocks and charged straight forward towards the Cabal head first and shoulders down! She wasn't even bothering to try to provide herself with cover fire as she ran at them, forcing DRAC-0 to do so for her with his Bad Juju, slowly advancing after her as he fired. He honed down the weapon's sights and landed several bullets into the skull of a Legionary that had advanced its position through the air with its jump-pack, leaving it to fall into the sand now, no longer a threat.

The young Titan, as scrawny build as she was, made the perfect fit for running through the enemy grenade launcher like fire without taking much damage to her armor. She dove back, sliding feet first through the sand and into the dead center of the patrol, discarding her Scout rifle without care and brought both fists into the air. Suddenly both fists crackling with power arc energy a briefly before she brought her fists down into the ground around her, causing the cabal around her to go flying off their massive feet as it looked like lightening had just struck the ground, blinding the Exo for a moment.

The next thing his visual sensors picked up was a thick smoke around the area that had been struck, with several of the patrol smoking and dead at Thyra's feet. While those who had just barely gotten out of range, were now recovering from the reckless strike and turning their weapons onto the Guardian. DRAC-0 had seconds to close the distance with an all-out dead run straight through the sand to get to Thyra before they all opened fire, including a very pissed off Centurion now with its gun aimed at her. Just as the alien was pulling the trigger, DRAC-0 reached his destination and glowed with a purple Void light before extending that energy outward; creating a Ward of Dawn just in the nick of time while all the Cabal concentrated their fire onto the pair of Titans. All of their heavy fire round absorbing into the Ward's shield and protecting them both.

DRAC-0 sighed with relief, not that he needed air or held air at all, more of a programming thing to seem more alive to the flesh and blood around them. They had a few moments before either the Shield gave out or the Cabal realized that emptying their magazines weren't having the effect they desired. He took the time to reload his weapon wordlessly, and then glare back at the Titan behind him.

"You defied orders Titan!" He barked as he got to his feet. "Get your Shotgun ready! On my count we hit the Captain of this patrol before aiming for the grunts!"

"I couldn't help it! I got most of them, didn't I, doesn't that count for something?" Thyra commented back as she retrieved her Shotgun from her back and pumped a round into the chamber; ready to go.

"Three! Two!... One!" Roared DRAC-0 and he charged out of the bubble with a ready-to-fire machine gun trained on the Centurion.

 _Pop... pop... pop...pop... pop. .pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop!_ Rang out from the machine gun's slow but increasingly steady rate of fire right into the Centurion's shield. The beast bellowed in rage and fired back while the rest of the patrol that remained were just beginning to react to the sudden direct assault. Thyra thankfully listened this time and charged in behind him, but she had instead begun going after the smaller troops instead of the head of them. She fired her shotgun into the chest of another legionary, forcing it backward into the ground, and then she popped another round into the nearest Psion, killing it instantly.

DRAC-0 focused on the Centurion in front of him and continued his massive fire onto the alien until his mag ran empty, and then quickly switching to his Pulse Rifle to finish the job, spraying it with bullets until the large Centurion fell into the sand alongside the rest of its patrol... When DRAC-0 looked around... the patrol was defeated and Thyra looked quite pleased with herself, as much as the Exo could tell through her Helmet.

"Great... That's no longer a threat. Now. Where did that damned Warlock run off to?" He growled irritably. They wouldn't have had to engage the patrol if Raven hadn't taken off. Now he had no idea where she was, and he was very much tempted to leave her here on this planet. He had his own disobedient Titan to attend to without wasting time and energy tracking down the mischievous Awoken if it wasn't for her Visions she had on occasion he would just leave... It made her very important to them. And very key not to lose to anyone. Not the Cabal. Not the Vex. And especially **not** the Hive.

DRAC-0 was surprised when his Ghost suddenly appeared before him, watching him silently. His ghost wasn't much for talk, or maybe it had received damage prior to reviving him, the Exo never knew. It spoke only when it had to and that was still scarce.

"Transmission incoming... from Hunter Shadow."

"Thank you Ghost." He answered. "Yes?"

 _"Hey you guys need to get back here ASAP. Remember that favor we owe the Queen? Well she wants us to cough up, I'll explain when you guys return to the Tower."_

"Understood. However, there is a complication."

 _"Aaaaaah. Shit... What'd she do this time..."_

"She took off; alerting a patrol to our presence, and resulted in us losing her while we fought them off."

 _"Son of a bitch! Well she's not far off I bet. Find her. Get your metal ass back here so we can gear up and get some rest."_

"Roger. DRAC-0 out."

Thyra approached him, apparently having found her Scout Rifle while he had been talking.

"What's going on?" She asked curiously.

"We are needed. Shadow, Raven, and I owe the Queen a favor in return for helping us get into the Black Garden. Subsequently that means you are going too. I will also assume the Fallen Vandal will also be with us as well. We must find Raven, quickly, and return to the Tower for more detail." DRAC-0 replied, looking at the barren battlefield around them, and calculating the most likely route the Vision- Crazed Warlock would have taken. Finally he rolled his robotic shoulders and picked the route due Northeast and proceeded to march his way through the canyon while he kept out on alert. A few moments later Thyra's footsteps could be heard following behind him. When the Hunter was involved Thyra always seemed a little more eager without questioning him as often.

The Exo sighed and shook his head, returning his full attention outside of his mind to the task at hand. They could not waste time with him lost in the pools of his own thoughts. He picked up the march, focusing on the rocks in the landscape around him for any traces of the missing Warlock.

Thyra the long-legged Guardian that she was had no problem keeping the pace with him. Her build had surprised him when he had been first tasked with overseeing her training and growth as a Titan, normally Titans were thicker builds than her, even Exos like himself tended to be on the bulkier side. She reminded him of a Birch tree on Earth that swayed with the wind instead of holding her own against it. Thyra could have easily turned out as a Hunter or Warlock, but apparently the twiggish woman had a preference for close quarters combat that the other two classes could not have supported.

And again the Exo shook his head from thought... It was going to be one of those days...

Thankfully there didn't seem to be another Cabal patrol in the area to be a more of a problem than they already had, trying to locate their missing comrade. Though he had to wonder how long it would be before the enemy realized one of their patrols were down and decide to send reinforcements. The Cabal were a very strict military force and DRAC-0 didn't think they'd allow patrols out without frequent comm checks to make sure the area was secure. For all he knew one of the last patrol had managed to alert their Command that there was a problem and reinforcements were already on the way to them as they wasted time.

The stubborn Exo picked up his pace with more urgency as he scanned the rocky walls of the Canyon. The longer they spent out here the more they risked heavier forces dropping in on their location like the Dust Giant regimen or worse the Siege Dancers if they considered the threat of possible Guardians in the area high enough.

Just their luck; DRAC-0 heard a ship slowly getting louder, and from the sound it was a Cabal Harvester.

` "Thyra! Get down, quickly!"

"I can hear it too!"

The pair quickly ran to the side wall of the canyon, DRAC-0 pressed his back up against the rock wall and with a large slab of stone above their heads in hopes that would be enough to prevent the Cabal from spotting them. Thyra followed his example and pressed up against the rock as well, holding her breath in silence to avoid their foe….

They both watched in silence the ship flew on by slowly, obviously searching for something as it headed toward the direction of their fallen comrades. It would only be a matter of time before they landed and began to search of foot this way.

Once DRAC-0 could no longer hear the ship he growled to himself and began moving even faster stride while looking for the missing Warlock.

"Um... Draco?"

"Errrrrmmmm?"

"I think she may have gone into that cave over there. It seems like a place she would hide." The Titan pointed out to a cave he had passed over up closer to the top of the canyon wall.

Of course he had missed it too, thanks to his mind's tendency to wander off and the threat of the Cabal ship.

"Good work. Cover me. I'll take point to investigate."

DRAC-0 put his weapon on his back; he wouldn't be able to use it while he climbed the stone wall up. The Exo looked up from the bottom of the canyon and grumbled low to himself, swearing he was going to smack that Warlock upside the head when he found her. Then without wasting another moment he placed his hands on the next ledge above him and slowly began his free-style climb. Each step he took care to find a foot hold before pushing himself up so he wouldn't fall back and possibly kill himself in the process. When he made it to the ledge for the edge of the cave he made a quick look at the Titan below that kept looking for trouble; and then pushed himself up onto the ledge one he was sure there was no cause to worry. Without missing a beat he was back on his feet and taking a peek into the cave with Juju's sights.

He slowly made his way into the cave and looked around, while his Ghost provided him with the light he needed that his vision sensors couldn't see without it. In the back he saw the shape of the missing Warlock in the back of the cave with her Ghost hovering over her. DRAC-0 immediately back tracked out of the cave and waved down to the Titan waiting below for her to come out, and then returned into the belly of the cave to the Warlock.

The Exo looked at Raven's Ghost. "What's happened?"

" _She had a Vision. It took its toll on her body."_

"Damn." Growled DRAC-0, kneeling down to Raven's level and reaching out a cold hand to her cheek. "Raven, can you hear me? RAVEN! RAVEN, WAKE UP!" He barked at her sternly while he shook her gently, trying to get the warlock to respond.

Thyra came up behind him and got down to his level. "She doesn't look good. Are you sure you should be waking her up?"

"Fine. Let's just get her to the Tower. Ghost, pull us into my ship. We need to get her back to the Tower for some rest. She is not aware of it yet, but we have work to do. "

 _"Yes sir, pulling into ship in three, two, one..."_

DRAC-0 found himself in the cockpit of his ship and his ship already preparing for the trip home. He hated the feeling in his circuits that came with being pulled onto by his Ghost; feel like they were being pulled apart... The good news is now he had a little while to relax as the ship jumped back to Earth.

"Ghost, send word to Shadow, we are headed to her now."

 _"Yes, sir."_

 ** _I see you out there, comment! Do it! Also a special thanks to my first followers to this story, you make me feel awesome! I will write on!_**


	7. Chapter 7 Questions

**Hey guys, sorry about the wait. I know it's a couple days late, but I needed to edit before I posted this. Anyways, enjoy and please don't froget to comment. :)**

* * *

 _Shadow: Earth, Tower._

"Hahahahaha, you look good Vox." Shadow found herself grinning ear to ear at the Vandal. Her new Fallen friend had decided to get her own custom helmet done. After bribing the right vendors made the helmet appear bad-ass. The Vandal now donned a Devil's helm, but the top had been cut open to allow her quills room to move freely, which was dyed a sky blue and the helmet had also been painted primary black with gold and sky blue detail to complete the look. It was also custom rigged with comms gear like her last helmet so she could talk to Shadow and LL. And lastly a chip had also been implanted into it, that registered Voxen as a friendly to other Guardians; so even out in the field they'd hopefully stop before pulling the trigger.

Voxen clicked her mandibles happily, and her blue mo-hawk bobbed up and down on her head. Even if Shadow hadn't fully grasped the Fallen's body language yet, it was still clear to the Huntress that Vox was extremely happy with the results.

"Do you like it?" As if she really needed to ask.

"Yeeeeeeeessssssss. Veeeeerrrrrrrrry much! Stand out from rest of Fallen Houses, yes?" Voxen clicked back.

"Hell yea, I can definitely pick you out from any Fallen Vandal I've ever see. But I gotta ask, Why the Mohawk?"

"Mo... Hawk?"

"Sorry. Why the open helm at the top? Isn't that a Dreg thing?" Shadow rephrased.

"Not Dreg, not Vandal. Not Fallen. Eliksni! I rise better than rest, will show them how to be better than Fallen!" Voxen answered back in a more serious tone but full of excitement and energy. It made Shadow smile still at Voxen.

"That's fantastic!" She replied. "Guess we'll have to come up with a new title for your rank then instead of Vandal."

"Yes! New House, one strong House, allies with huuuuumans, share Great machine someday." Voxen chattered on.

Shadow saw other Guardians staring at the Vandal. Watching her carefully as if they fully expected to start shooting, all those looks, and apparently Vox was immune to them because she paid no heed if she even knew.

"Hey why don't we head down to get some rest? Might be a good time to see if they got those Ether pumps working." She suddenly said, causing a puzzled look from Voxen for a moment. Then the cheerful Vox just chirped and nodded her head.

"Sounds... gooood?"

"Yea."

 _"Incoming transmission."_

"Alright? Shoot LL."

 _"DRAC-0's Ghost is reporting they are on their way back to the Tower. They found Raven, but she's unconscious from another Vision."_

"Shit... Well good thing we aren't leaving right away. Probably a really good idea to go down to the Cell for rest. Let's go Vox."

"Yeeeees! Fear-Striker!" Voxen answered, following behind Shadow as they headed across the courtyard, past the post master building, and straight over to the far left. There right by a flight of stairs sat the elevator they were going to use to get down to their cell. Well she called it a Cell because they were provided for each Guardian Team, but weren't used very often by Hunters, because Hunters often remained on the move out in the field in wilderness. It had been a few months for her since she had been down there. Now she pressed the button to summon their ride down, and was pleasantly surprised when the door opened up quickly for the pair. She stepped in and waved Voxen in.

Last time they'd been in it, they had taken the elevator all the way down to the City for training, it was funny watching Voxen's expression then of amazement and nervousness of the new experience for her. Now Voxen looked very calm and patient as the doors closed and Shadow idly pushed the button for the floor they needed.

The ride was mostly silent between the two until Voxen clicked her mandibles again, looking down at the floor.

"What's gotten into you?" Shadow asked, concerned.

"They not trust a Fallen in their Tower..." Voxen began. "They not trust me..."

So the looks before hadn't gone unnoticed...

"True but don't let that bother you. If you were back on a Ketch right now with the House of Winter. Wouldn't it be a sight for you if a Human was walking around on your ship as an ally?" Shadow pointed out.

"Hmmmmmmmm..." Voxen clicked her mandibles again. "Yes... this is true. Prove worth yes?"

"Yea, eventually they'll see you're cool."

"Your human "expressions" are strange." Voxen replied.

"You get used to 'em."

"Yesss."

The elevator came to a gentle stop and dinged at them as it opened the door, signaling it was time to get off. Shadow led the way down the dimly lit hall lined with doors on either side; each door marked with a number. She kept walking, but paid attention to the numbers as she went by, aware of Voxen's cautious form behind her. Then she came to a sudden stop in front of a door marked _794_. She looked at the blank screen in front of her and touched it, bringing the screen to life with a dull blue. She entered the pass key into it and the door opened for them slowly, revealing the dark cell inside. As they stepped in the lights automatically came on for them for them to see, although Shadow was doubtful Voxen needed the light.

Inside was a very small living space containing a small couch and a few chairs around a coffee table. A small kitchen with bare cabinets, the door that lead to the tiny bathroom in the back, and three more doors in which Shadow knew led to the small beds in which they slept in they stayed at the Tower very long. It didn't have much in terms of decor, just pieces of armor and skulls of past trophies from battles fought and won. and yet, something new, was a new door that Shadow went forward to to investigate. Upon stepping forward to the door, she found a whole new bedroom when the door slid open; but unlike the rest this one had large cylinder container in the back corner next to the bed, where it looked like Voxen could place a few Ether supply containers that would then be released into the air for her. Shadow smiled in satisfaction, knowing that this job had to have been a challenge for whoever installed this for them. It cut into the living space a bit but it wasn't a problem.

Shadow peeked back out of the room, looking a Voxen who still stood at the door as she absorbed her surroundings. Voxen, then focused on her, tilting her head as if to ask what Shadow wanted of her.

"Come here. Come check out your room." She called.

"My... room?" Voxen asked, slowly striding over to Shadow and peeking her head into the room herself. Sure enough she had to duck to get into the door way, but all four eyes widened when she saw the little bed in the corner and the Ether pump.

"For me?" Voxen asked again.

"This is yours. For whatever downtime we spend at the Tower. This is your personal space to use. And it looks like the ether pump will allow you to take the mask off too. Just let me know if I have to wear a mask so I can breathe." Shadow explained, stepping back towards the wall so Voxen could step in fully.

Voxen took another step into the room, and her mandibles clicked cheerfully while going to the bed in the back of the room. She leaned over and placed a hand from her lower set of arms onto the bed, and pressed down on the soft pad a few times.

"It is veeeerrrrrrry good! Never had sleeping place like this before. It feels sooooft like fuuuuuur but is not." Voxen exclaimed happily. "I like!"

LL appeared between them and blinked at Shadow. Bringing a couple of the containers they had robbed from the Fallen camp earlier and placed them into the Pump. Shadow had to replace her helmet and sealed the door behind her as they turned the pump on. It hummed softly as it took the Ether into it and pumped it out into the air of the room. Voxen removed her helm as the room filled with ether, and then undid the mask portion as well, revealed her full face and she took a deep breath of the air.

It was funny, she looked so alien to Shadow, yet, the Huntress still recognized her as her friend. It had been awhile since she'd seen Voxen's face, the only other time had been when Voxen had decided to claim Shadow as her new Kell. Shadow still rolled her eyes at that; but that event had happened about week ago now. Damn. Time flies...

"Glad you like it Vox. I'll eventually get a small face mask of my own and leave it outside your door, so I'll be able to breathe without a full frickin' helmet in here." Shadow said, smiling beneath her helmet. "Get some rest, we got some time before the rest of the gang show up."

"No rest now." Voxen replied. "Have questions, seek answers." Obviously as good as grasp of human language was, Shadow could see she struggled on occasions like this.

"Alright, shoot." She leaned against the wall, preparing for whatever question was about to come her way.

Voxen tilted her head while her mandibles clicked together. Whether trying to form the words in Shadow's tongue, or figure out which question to ask first, was a tough one to call for the Huntress. Never the less, she waited patiently for Vox ask her questions. Thankfully it wasn't too long.

"Who leads Guardians?"

"Technically the Vanguard, you met each representative. However its more based on which class you're talking about and that does't include the organized fractions and their pull on the Guardians."

"Like Fallen Houses?"

"Yes and no."

"I see... explain."

"Well first off. The Vanguard's classes, Titan, Warlock, and Hunter; only apply to Guardians. The regular citizens down below however... are not organized like this. Now the three fractions within the city are a different story. The Future War Cult, Dead Orbit, and New Monarchy, each have a different view on what should be done next, and therefore some Guardian or otherwise choose to side with them or not." Shadow explained. "The easiest way to put it is we are all united as a species and will come together as a whole to survive, but our idea are what divide us."

Voxen's head tilted to one side, trying to wrap her mind around the different social structure. "Sounds complicated. Yet... least you do not slaughter each other like Fallen."

Shadow shook her head sullenly. "Sadly that's not entirely true. We used to be divided kind of like Houses and we competed against each other, warred against each other, and even slaughtered each other." The huntress fell silent for a moment before she continued. "We really aren't that different humans, and Fallen. We've both slaughtered our own... We both have risen and both have fallen. Only a few simple choices have separated us from being exact same spot that we have found ourselves."

She looked up into the vandal's eyes, or at least one pair. She could easily see humans, Awoken, and Exo on ships like the Fallen have done, searching and scavenging and just barely surviving, and clinging on to whatever they could.

Voxen stared back, clicked her mandibles for a moment, then replied. "You make good sense. We are not so different. Why can human and eliskni share light? Share Great Machine and both become strong again, together?"

"Honestly Vox, I dont see a single damn problem with it. However. The Fallen have been constantly attacking the City, and Guardians hunting and slaughtering whole crews for awhile now. Getting over that kind of bad blood; proving we can work together will take time." Shadow explained, however Vox did not look disheartened in the least. That made the Huntress smile, and have hope.

Voxen seemed to be thinking again clicking her mandibles slowly and breaking gaze with Shadow. It was very interesting to watch.

"Make new House! Make house of Eliskni and Huuuuumans! Show we work together, grow strong, make banner known. Earn respect, honor, darkness fear it!" Voxen cried excitedly, standing up tall with two fists from her top set of arms in the air.

Shadow couldn't resist a chuckle at her excited Fallen, no, Eliskni friend. Voxen was Fallen. She could see Voxen was trying to rise her and her kin to be more than just ruthless pirates and scavengers.

"I like the idea. Give both sides some structure. And we can slowly grow in number as we recruit others." Shadow said as she nodded with approval.

"You will be Kell! You will lead banner and house!" Voxen chirped.

"Whoa, whoa ,whoa now! I am not a Kell."

Voxen seemed to shrink down some at her words, looking almost pitiful, as if upset. "Why? You strong!"

She put her hands up at Voxen's sheer energy. "Okay maybe so, but a Kell, as I've come to understand, are ruthless and violent leaders that won't hesitate to kill a fellow member of their House who displeases them. Nor could I allow or even be for removing the arms off Dregs to force them to fight to earn them back." The huntress shook her head. "Its cruel and only ends up with dead Dregs that died humiliated for nothing. Surely you can understand Voxen, you had to have been a Dreg at one time or another right?"

Voxen's form rose up a little and her bottom arms fiddling with the wraps of on hands. "Did not like being Dreg... Hard to climb, easy to mock, drive to prove self made reckless. Few lived through to regain arms. Some good fighters."

"See my point? That wouldn't allow your species to grow again. If we wanted them to be stronger, we will train them instead."

"Yeees, see point. No more docked Dregs."

"Yep. For now I will take up as leader, but when we get bigger I would like to see a counsel in charge of guiding but not controling the House. Rank is gained through honor and experience." Shadow went on.

"Counsel?"

"Um... a small group. Of strong, wise warriors. Some Eliskni some Human or Awoken or Exo. Best of the best, but without the ruthlessness."

Voxen's eyes lit up. "I understand, yeeees. Strong, good Kells. Not normal Fallen Kell."

"Yea pretty much. It won't be easy though."

"But we will be stronger when banner flies with victory!"

Shadow laughed. "Sounds like a plan."


	8. Chapter 8 Defiance

**Hello guys. I had this ready yesterday... However the site wouldn't allow me to post this for you all to enjoy.**

 _Voxen; Tower, Earth._

Suddenly the soft sound of the front door opened from outside Voxen's room caught her Kell's attention and she stepped towards the door of Voxen's room and pressed a botton next to the door, and it opened for the Huntress. Voxen moved forward behind Shadow to see who had arrived. The young Titan, Thyra, was the first one in through the door with what Voxen had come to understand was a worrisome expression on her face and the Exo wasn't far behind her; cradling the once lifeful Warlock in his arms.

"She hasn't even stirred once the entire trip home." Thyra spoke just above a whisper upon Shadow's approach to the three.

"She'll be fine, just set her down in her room to rest." The Huntress replied, puting a hand on Thyra's shoulder, Voxen knew it as a comforting gesture.

Voxen stepped out of her room without her mask, she felt suddenly weak as she left the strong ether air behind her as she stepped up to the Exo, examining the Warlock, and even reaching out to touch her gently. However Raven didn't respond to the touch, and Voxen looked around at the other Guardians.

"What wrong? Injuried but no wounds?"

The Exo answered her first before her Kell had a chance. "Raven has Visions of events. Sometimes they come true, other times they do not. Sometimes they are powerful enough to consume all her energy. However with rest, she'll be fine. Even with all the trouble she put us through to find her."

"Oh?" Shadow's response from behind surprised Voxen.

"She took off laughing again. Then just vanished. She was supposed to be helping me teach Thyra the importance of stratagy when facing the Cabal." DRAC-0 growled as if aggitated. She hadn't been around the Exo enough to understand them yet.

"Well in a way she did." The huntress laughed back. Causing the exo to grumble again as he stepped around Voxen and off towards one of the closed doors in the back, presumably Raven's room.

After spending the night in her room, Voxen felt stronger than ever and ready for whatever lay ahead of them. She sat in the corner on her bed breathing in the ether air while she waited for the others to stirr in their own rooms. She resisted the urge to go peek on on them and see what a resting Guardian looked like, that is if they even slept at all. Voxen herself had never stumbled across a sleeping Guardian, not even while she had been hunting them with House Winter.

Her thoughts wanderered over now... She was no longer Fallen, so therefore no longer a Vandal either. So what was she? She was not lowly, she was strong and experienced, yet surely she was stronger than a Vandal now, she wasn't up to par with a Captain yet. She could probably fight blade to blade with a Kell's Guard if she ever were to come across one... That was it! She already wished to protect Shadow as if the Guardian were a Fallen Kell. She would act like a shield, she would be a Guard to the Fear-Striker.

Her mind made up and with fresh energy running through her lifeblood she rose up quickly and donned her mask so she could relay this "discovery" to the Huntress.; turning off the Ether pump before she left her room. Once into the living area, as it was called by the Guardians, she quietly stalked through the darkness of the room with ease to the door which Shadow's scent was coming from the strongest. Pressing thee botton on the wall beside the door to allow her entry into the dark sleeping room. The door opened with a quiet _whoooosh_ and Voxen stepped into the room.

Simular to her own room it was fairly simple, with a small table in one corner with piecies of what appeared to be armor stacked in a haphazard piled on top of it. However as curious sight as it was to see the armor not on a Guardian, was that there was too much of it to belong to one Guardian. Voxen smelled a familar scent mixed in with the Huntress's she hadn't been paying attention to before, and her gaze turned over to the bed in the corner on the other side of the room. Not one, but two sleeping Guardians quietly snored while sleeping on the bed with their backs turned to each other. Shadow lay on the outter side of the bed, as if protecting and yet keeping distance from the female Titan that curled up on the inner side. It was so strange seeing two Guardians without armor. Yet she was still focused on the task at hand; that is if she could dare wake the sleeping Huntress.

Voxen croached low to the floor, which brought her just above the level of the bed and the two sleeping Guardians on top of it. She reached out and prodded the sleeping Huntress with a finger to the head right between the eyes.

"Fear-Striker... Kell... Must tell you something..." Voxen whispered as quietly but also as audiable as possible while she still poked the Guardian's face.

Her efforts were rewards with Shadow shifting her position with a low groan. So she persisted, getting closer to the Guardian's face with her own and kept prodding.

"Must tell you thoughts Kell... wake from sleep yeeees?"

Another groan and then one eye sleepily opened. Then both eeys opened wide and Shadow suddenly became very much lively as she jumped back from Voxen.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"You wake!" Voxen chirped cheerfully, her mandibles clicking in a pleasant purr.

"Damnit Vox... You scared the shit outta me!" Shadow snapped, obviously not bothering to be quiet for the other still sleeping Guardian. "What do you want?"

Voxen lowered her head some at the displeased Huntress. "Has thoughts to share. For new house, and for myself..."

"Right now?" Shadow exclaimed, and then idly to herself. "What time is it?"

"Yes, thoughts fresh! Wish to tell before they fade." Voxen answered.

Shadow ran a hand threw her mane of quills on her head and grumbled. "Alright, lets take it to the living room, thought I'm doubtful our chatter will bother Thyra here. She could sleep through anything." The huntress rose up to her feet and slowly led the way out of the room and into the larger living room. Flopping on the couch with a heavty sigh.

Voxen followed after and made use of a comfy chair that sat across from the couch.

"Alright, what did you wake me for?"

"Kell's have Kell's Guards, yeeeees?"

"Yes?" Shadow answered in a disgruntled tone.

"I your Kell Guard. I protect Kell so Kell does not have to waste energy on lowly foes."

"This is what you woke me for?" Shadow grumbled. "Okay so you consider yourself a Guard. However I wouldn't consider myself a Kell Vox. More like a Chief."

This stopped Voxen for a moment, confused with the new word. "What is a Chief?"

"Its like a Kell, but not ruthless or cruel that simply slaughter their own. Kinda like what we talked about before. Besides how did I get elected to be the leader of this House again?" Shadow explained.

"Chief... YES! Good name. Chief Guard! I am Chief Guard!" Voxen chirpped exitedly again.

"Oi vey..." Shadow muttered under her breath, but it was still audible for Voxen's hearing. "Didn't answer my question though."

"You Kell... noooo... Chief because you strong. Strong leader. Worth following, worth fighting for. Not ruthless." Voxen explained her reasoning as best as she could, deeply seeped in the memory of their first meeting... Even if it almost ended very badly for Voxen.

"Okay. Okay... I'm worth following I guess... Well the best leaders are often the ones who didn't want the position in the first place...or so Cayde-6 says anyway." Shadow replied, followed by opening her mouth as wide as Voxen thought was possible for the human with a strange howl that escaped from the open mouth. Her head tilted to one side curiously to the strange human gester.

"I am Chief Guard!" Voxen chirped and then gave Shadow a puzzled look. "What is name of House?"

"Good question. Let's see here... We've got House of Devils, Kings, Wolves, Exile, and Winter right? Well... We both agree that their way is dividing them and hindering them from rising up to being a better that pirates or savengers. Plus it's not going to be easy to set up a House that not only is made up of Eliskni but of Humans, Awoken and Exos... There will be resisting from both sides..." Shadow mubbled, but Voxen had a feeling it wasn't directed at her, but more of just airing the thoughts inside of her mind. Then it was Voxen turn to jump out of her seat, suddenly startled by a "AH HA," from the Huntress.

"That's it!"

"What is?" Voxen asked.

"House name!"

"What shall our banner be known?"

"House of Defiance!" Shadow exclaimed with suddenly energy; sitting up in her seat. "We will defy the Darkness. We will defy the Tower that we can work together, and will will defy the Fallen and their way too!"

Voxen screeched with excitement. "Yes! We are small now, but strong!"

"What's all the noise for?"

Voxen turned around to see another sleeping room door opened with a very disgruntled Exo standing in the door way.

"Hey Draco, did we bother you?" Shadow asked, her voice sounding unphased by the irritated machine.

"Yes... Too much noise out here for me to shut down and recharge in peace." He growled.

"Come and sit. I want you in on this. How much you hear?" Shadow answered, and the Exo moved toward the couch and plopped down on the end of it.

"I heard most of it." He grumbled. "How could I not. Between you and the clicking alien over there, it's hard not to overhear."

"Well so, want to be apart of the new House then?" Shadow offered casually. "It'd be nice to have other Guardians as well as some of the Eliskni be apart of the leadership too, Voxen only appears interested as a Guard."

The Exo grumbled for a moment to himself, then looked up at the hunter. "I will think on it." He answered.

"Alright good enough I guess." Shadow sighed back with a shrug.

Another door opened up and small group all looked up to see who it was to emerge this time. Thyra stood in the doorway looking like she just woke up and stubbled her way towards the door.

"There you are. I wondered where you went."

"You sleep through everything, and yet you noticed when I got up." Shadow retorted. "Come on and sit with us."

Thyra gave a tired smile, and made her way to the spot next to the Huntress, plopping down beside her; closer than Draco had dared to sit. This puzzled Voxen as she still found human relations were still very strange to her... She would have to keep learning, but now wasn't the time.

She looked over to her Kell... no... Chief. "Hooooooouse." She clicked at Shadow.

"Oh yea." Shadow said, "Vox had an idea she had to share, so she came and got me. You missed me jumping clear outta my skin when she woke me."

"Awwww I missed that? The almighty Fear-Striker startled?" Thyra laughed and then looked at Voxen. "Nice job Vox!"

Voxen didn't understand why she was being praised but it felt good anyway and she chirpped back in response.

"Aaaaaaanyways. Voxen really wants to ally with us, and make a House that brings both sides together. She seems to think I'd be a good chief for that. And she's has claimed herself as my guard." Shadow explained.

"That's awesome!" Thyra replied exictedly, sitting upright in her seat with a very excited grin.

"Yea, but the question becomes, would you like to be apart of this new house? It's called House of Defiance."

"Hell yes! Count me in!"

"Yeeeeeeeeeees! Banner flies strong!" Voxen cheered excitedly.

"No need to even think about it?" Shadow answered with a smile.

Thyra scoffed at the question. "No. This sounds awesome. We need all the allies we can get! Plus I really don't care for all the extreme, uptight millitary assholes. No offense Draco, but if I didn't love to punch my enemies in the face instead of stalk them, I would have been a Hunter."

"I'm well aware of that observation Thyra." Draco grumbled at the young Titan. "That is why I was assigned to be your Mentor after you came back to the Vanguard at Death's door."

"Owch Draco. Bit of a low blow, ain't it?" Shadow remarked, shaking her head at the machine.

"Don't matter. I'm fine. But we got a problem... How will we recruit more Fallen?" Thyra replied, effectively changing the subject. Yet Voxen also saw wisdom in the question too.

Voxen was the first to chirp in. "Recruit more Eliskni from Fallen will not be easy. Not easy to find Eliskni in Fallen. Not easy to move them under new Banner. Different Banner with Guardians... Both sides guilty of blood."

"Good point Voxen." Shadow answered. "We will have to tred lightly."

The Exo grumbled to himself and shook his head. "You three are insane."

His remark even to just himself was met with Shadow rolling her eyes; and it was also another gester that was lost on Voxen...

"Well someone should really go check on Raven. We really need to be getting a move on."

"I'm awake. And you need to hear what heard and saw in my Vision."


	9. Chapter 9 Loyalty

**Hopefully I can work my way to longer chapters again. Sorry the Chapters don't flow so well folks; I'll work on it.  
_**

 _Voxen: Tower; Earth._

"Wait, I don't understand. Say that again, Raven." Thyra said; clearly confused.

The Warlock sighed, and rubbed her arms as if she were cold while looking obviously fatigued. Sitting in a chair by herself next to Voxen's, but she was still in her robe-like armor; unlike Thyra and Shadow. "Fine. One last time... Then I don't want to think about it again." She replied. " _Two banners, spark fires of war, fly as one. Two storms brew in winter. One guided by pride. Fangs will be_ _broken and split into three. Each facing a different fate. Old reborn and rise anew. Or darkness will_ _consume_."

"Why is it so cryptic..." Thyra complained.

"You haven't gotten used it yet, but they always make sense eventually." Draco retorted with a grumble.

"Don't blame me... I never asked for these visions... They're a real kill-joy to all my fun..." Raven whined back at Thyra; ignoring the Exo.

Voxen couldn't even make sense of the riddle. Perhaps she didn't have a good enough grasp on the human tongue to fully understand it. However it appeared that all but her Chief seemed to be completely lost to its meaning. The huntress said with her legs crossed over each other and her arms crossed as well. She appeared to be concentrating in thought. Her eyes were open, yet no fire of life lay behind them as if someone had left the lights on but no one were there.

"It has to mean something... Banners... War... Fangs... There's got to be a connection." Shadow muttered to herself. Then she looked up and the fire was back in her gaze as it settled on Raven. "What did you see?"

"Colors... Red and yellow... I saw dark clouds with lightening in them. Teeth... and that's it... I'm not talking about it no more... It's no fun." Raven groaned.

"Alright sheesh... I won't ask again. Damn." Shadow grumbled back, clearly disgruntled that she couldn't pick for more information. Voxen simply chirped, finding it all amusing since she couldn't figure the twisted words out herself.

A few moments of silence followed from Shadow, as she still tried to grasp an answer, until she swiftly stood up making Voxen Guard jump.

"We've got a favor to repay. I'm heading out. If you want a free ride, get your crap and lets goooooo." Shadow announced and the group all rose up to their feet.

Draco had most of his armor save for his helmet and his weapons, and he marched off to his sleeping place to go retrieve them. Thyra and Shadow disappeared into the Huntress's room, assuming to go gear up. Voxen quickly went into her own and grabbed her helm and placed it on and then quickly returned to the living space. Taking it upon herself to keep an eye on the Vision-cursed Warlock, who seemed to still not be quite up to full strength yet, which concerned the Eliskni. In the short time she knew this group of Guardians Voxen had grown to care about each of them. Thankfully the warlock already appeared geared up, so she could stay seated in the chair for the moment.

When the other returned with their gear on and ready, Voxen left the room for only a moment to retrieve her own weapons to be ready to leave herself. She came back and Shadow nodded in approval.

"Alright. Who's ship we taking?" She asked.

"Probably be best to take yours." The Exo grumbled back in return. "Yours is the largest and will serve to accommodate the large group."

"Okay then. Let's go." Shadow replied meekly.

DRAC-0, Shadow, and Thyra headed for the door, while Voxen hesitated seeing the warlock struggle. She had made it to her feet, but it was clear she was having trouble. So Voxen approached carefully and wrapped around her top arm around the warlock, grasping just under the under arm, and offered her lower arm for Raven to grasp for support. Raven looked up and nodded weakly and grabbed the offered hand, and together they both made better pace behind the others for the elevator.

 _Raven: Shadow's Ship; Earth's Orbit._

Damn Visions... They took all the energy and fun away from her. She didn't like having them, even if they were useful from time to time. She still couldn't remember how she had gotten them before she had been awakened by her Ghost, Crazy Eye.

Still she was thankful for the Eliskni's help in walked out to the ship. It had been an unexpressed kindness she hadn't known could come from the alien. However if Shadow trusted Voxy, then so did she. She also had to admit, the duel pairs of arms had been really cool and helpful assisting her...

Shadow had just sat down in the pilot's seat of the ship and her Ghost was getting ready to take off for the Reef. Raven really didn't want to go back there, the Queen was such a cunt... But oh well, they did owe her, even if she was a bitch.

"Does anyone have to take a piss before we leave?" Shadow called back jokingly from the pilot's seat. Her way of asking if everyone was ready.

"Yeppy!" Raven answered back cheerfully, refusing to show any more weakness.

Thyra nodded and Draco grunted back their answers.

"Ready, Chief!" Voxy chirped in too.

"Alright ladies, we are headed out. Let's go Light."

" _Affirmative."_

The entire ship pushed forward into hyper-drive and they were off with no turning back now.

Raven looked over towards Vox and smiled warmly. "Thank you for the help, Voxy." She cooed, almost child-like.

The four-armed alien looked toward her, blinked and clicked her mandibles back at her. "Needed assistance, yes? Happy to assist." she responded back.

"Still you are a good friend." Raven said.

"Thanks."

"What were you guys chatting about before? I heard you guys but I was having trouble understanding." Raven asked curiously.

Voxy immediately appeared to lighten up some at the question. "Make new House with Huntress. Both Guardians and Eliskni fight under one banner!"

"Oh, really? That sounds awesome!" Raven said; knowing if Shadow was at the lead then it would be a good House. "I wanna be a part of that!"

"Good! Banner grows stronger!" Vox answered back. "All who wish for better are welcomed!"

"Whoot!" Raven cheered. "So what's it called?"

"House Defiance."

"That definitely sounds like Shadow's doing." She giggled. "It'll be a good House. I'm sure of it!."

"Yeeeeeeeeees, Shaaaaadow strong!" Voxy replied with pride.

" _This is the Royal Guard of the Reef. By Order of her Majesty, the Queen, state your business or be shot down!"_

"This is Shadow Fear-Striker, from Earth. My Fire-team and I are expected by the Queen."

"Uh oh. Poor Guards will get their panties in a wad." Raven giggled.

 _"_ _... Confirmed. Be advised, follow us to land and do not deviate."_

"Fine. Fine." Shadow's sarcastic tone could even be heard from the back of the ship.

The ship banked to the left, for what Raven assumed was following after the Royal Guard Ships. And after a few very long minutes Raven felt the ship begin to slow and descend downward to land. IT came to a slow stop and the ship powered down while the door opened, allowing them to get off.

It was time to meet the Queen. Again.

 _Voxen: The Reef._

The moment they stepped off the ship, Voxen could immediately tell a fight had occurred here. The smell of blood filled the air; from Fallen and Awoken alike, which deeply unsettled her. The smell of gun discharged clung to the air as well, and that was before Voxen had laid eyes on any part of the aftermath of the fight. As they were escorted by the Royal Guards, she couldn't help but notice the feeling of being watched as they walked. This wasn't good.

They arrived a two very large doors with a symbol of a crown on it. The doors slowly opened inward to allow them in. There the smell hit Voxen twice as hard as before, and the fight... no the slaughter, that occurred here now unfolded before them all. Even Fear-Strikers stopped and hesitated at the sight before them. Scattered all over the room were the bodies of multiple Awoken Royal Guard, all appeared to have been shot down by weapons held by the Fallen. This was confirmed as among those bodies a few Fallen bodies scattered here and there came into sight. Mostly Dregs, but even a few Vandals; all of the Wolf Banner... The ones told to had been under the control of the Reef Queen.

The group carefully moved forward over the bodies of the slaughter, over to what appeared to be a Large thrown, with a very agitated looking white-haired Awoken sitting in it. They all had to take care in where they stepped to avoid stepping on or tripping over the bodies of the Guards on the floor. Their escorts following them with new agitation themselves.

As they approached the Queen, another male Awoken with black hair stepped out from behind the chair, his eyes resting on Voxen with a sneering glare.

Shadow stepped forward from the rest of the Group and nodded towards the two. "You called, Your Majesty."

Voxen suddenly felt very cold, standing before the Queen of the reef, but she refused to shrink back as her instincts demanded.

The Queen stared back at the Huntress with cold eyes, unflinching eyes. "You saw the betrayal, as you were escorted in, did you not?"

"Yes I did. Care to explain what happened?"

"The Wolves, turned on us. After I gave them mercy." The Queen answered.

The Male awoken stepped forward. "You are here to hunt them down! Every last one of them, and kill them! They will pay for this wil their lives!"

"Okay. Got that. But, why they do it?" The Huntress replied smoothly.

"A former Kell, called Skolas escaped from the Nine." Growled the angry Awoken. "Apparently most of those Fallen scum didn't wish to be under the Queen's rule any longer. Made quite the mess while they were at it"

"Most?" Shadow pressed.

"Some didn't wish to betray the Queen, but we can't trust them now so they've all been locked up in the Prison of Elders." He replied smoothly.

"What did you do that for? That's a hell of a way to reward their loyalty." The Huntress snapped coldly, tension beginning to build between the dominate figures in the room.

"As I said, they cannot be trusted. They could have simply stayed behind as spies." The Awoken male was starting to sound irritated.

"Yea, 'cuz that makes a fuck ton of sense!" Shadow growled...

Voxen stepped forward from the group. "Perhaps, I could be of assistance?" She squeaked, keeping her body in a submissive posture to avoid making the tension in room any worse.

Shadow whipped around, and Voxen could help but notice all eyes were now on her.

"Visit Wolves that remain. Question them, seeeeeeeee in own eyes if they are Fallen, or Eliskni." Voxen politely suggested.

The Queen stood up from her chair with her cold gaze locked on Voxen. It made Voxen squirm under such ice but she stood as firmly as she could.

"This one is clever. " She spoke, her voice's previous irritation gone, and only empty coldness remained. "But where is its loyalty lie?"

Voxen puffed up some proudly. "Former House Winter. Loyal to Fear-Striker now." She glanced over to Shadow, who chuckled quietly to herself. Voxen even thought she caught a flash of pride in the Huntress's gaze as well.

"I trust her. She could very easily settle and doubt of the remaining Wolves." Shadow pipped in, supporting Voxen; and the former Vandal puffed up even more.

The Queen's gaze never wavered off of the prideful Eliskni, however she seemed satisfied and gracefully flopped back down onto her throne. "Very well. Have Variks escort them to the Prison, allow them to question the Fallen."


	10. Chapter 10 Betrayal

**I'm not dead. Just a camping trip and a bit of writer's block is all. Anyways, this Chapter is larger that the others. Comment if you like the longer Chapters. Enjoy!**

* * *

The Queen waved her hand at them, and the masked Guards that escorted them in suddenly moved to life once more. The Royal Guards escorting the group out of the throne room and through the halls again of the very large remains of a ship; re purposed into something more. They were lead through another connecting ship, which simply appeared to only be room for an outpost. Voxen took the view in and couldn't help but respect the strange Awoken and their cleverness.

There they hung a close right, rounding the corner and the sight that came to Voxen was a familiar one. A large Pike clung to the wall of a round Fallen pod, covered with a cloth to preserve it, with several Fallen crates clustered around it with the Fallen symbol scratched off for some unknown reason. Outside the pod stood another one of the Royal Guard, silently unmoving in her vigilance. That was unsettling to the Eliskni. As they approached the Guard went from a casual stance to a more rigid one all without turning her head toward them.

"Variks, you have guests." Barked the guard.

"Yeeeeeees, I am aware... I can smmmmmeeeeeeell them." Spoke a light grutteral voice from inside the pod.

Voxen was shocked, and she began to lean forward, sniffing the air toward the pop to detect the Fallen that was concealed behind the curtain that served as a door. She had been under the impression all Wolves had been imprisoned, so what Fallen had somehow managed to avoid being thrown in the Prison.

She had her answer when the group stopped in front of the Pod and then out stepped a male Fallen that left the former Vandal in awe. His armor was different from any other Fallen she hadn't ever seen before. He wore a chain mail cover that was longer than the mask he wore it over, standing tall before the group in a display of dominance that was more for show than for threat. He wore a green banner over his armor and instead of being docked his upper arms were missing and replaced with robotic ones, yet his lower weaker set remained undocked or hindered. She then noticed in the left upper robotic hand was a staff that had been rumored to have been stolen long ago from a Devil Captain; a Captain known for his disdain for the other Houses. Yet Voxen's doubt was erased as to who this Fallen was, or why he hadn't been thrown into the Prison. The symbol painted in white made it easy to know which House he owed his loyalty. He was from the lost House Judgement. However how he had gotten he was still bewildering to Voxen; House Judgement were supposed to have had been wiped out in their travels among other Fallen Houses after the Whirlwind. How had the Wolves kept one in their mists all this time without so much as a whisper of hope the House still remained alive?

Both Eliskni locked their duel pairs of eyes on each other, and Voxen stepped forward from the group, ignoring an astonished look from her Chief beside her.

"You are House Judgement? But Rumored dead and gone. " Voxen squeaked, getting closer to take a deeper whiff of the Fallen's scent to assure herself this wasn't some sort of trick.

Both now stood in each other's face, staring at each other, and sniffing the air of scents. Variks standing taller than she was, while she hunched over curiously making her appear even smaller; and yet she almost tempted to reach out and poke his helm.

"No young Vandel, not deaaaaad yeeeet. I am Variks, the Loyal. The last scribe of House Judgement." He rattled on in his gruttled voice. His head tilted, apparently just as curious of her as Voxen was of him. He switched to their own tongue. "However. I do not believe I know which House your Banner tells."

Voxen responded in their shared tongue in kind. "I former Winter Vandel. No longer Fallen now. I am Chief Guard of House Defiance. I am proud Eliskni." Her mandibles clicking rapidly as she spoke. It was refreshing to speak in her own tongue.

"Not a Kell's Guard? But Chief Guard... Hmmmmmmm... Interesting. What and who is this Chief?" He questioned.

Voxen nudged her head back at the confounded looking Huntress behind her. "I follow heeeeeeeeer. She is wooooooooorth following. Not ruthless Kell. Creating House of Eliskni and Guardians toooogether."

"Hmmmmmm... Either very wise or very foolish choice young one. We shall see which will be." Variks responded, but he seemed pleased with it. "What is your name?"

"Voxen, Ghostwind." She answered.

"I see..." Variks said, tapping his staff once. "I will remember you."

He faced the group as a whole to address them all. "Welcome Guaaaaaaardians." He switched back to the human tongue, so they could understand him. He did a slight bow as he formally introduced himself. "I am Variks, the Loyal. Judgment Scribe, Warden of the Prison of Elders, and humble servant of the Queen."

"I have been infooooooormed you are need of a visit to the Prison. To the Wolves that remained here after the Wolves' betrayal." He clicked his mandibles excitedly. "Shaaaaaall we be on our waaaaay then?"

He strided he way through them and down towards a platform, where a large ship waited to take them to where ever the Prison was Hidden among the dead ruins that was the Reef.

Earth: Orbit, Kell's Ketch

Heavy Fallen boots marched down the metal hall of a massive Ketch which House Devils kept its higher command while awaiting orders of deployment from the Kell. Throughout the Halls and rooms the Banner of the Devil House were hung for all the inhabits to see and remind them who they owned their fealty to. That all was about to change.

The heavy boots belonged to a massive Fallen Devil Baron. And his rage and bloodlust would not be so easily sated. He strode through the lair with powerful pride, a sword at each hip and Launcher on his back hidden under his cloak which bore the Devil Banner. His armor bore dings, dents, and scratches from many battles hard won and fought. Today a new battle awaited for him. Today he was going to challenge the Devil Kell himself for the title and the House loyalty that would follow. This Kell had shown he was no longer fit to rule as Kell. This one had in mind to put him down as their society and culture demanded.

The Devil army that were stationed here, from Dreg to Captain all stayed out of his way. Hiding and watching, knowing a fight was about to ensure. None of them could dare hope to stop the Massive Baron from challenging the Kell. Strong on ether, and itching for combat the Baron turned the hall corner, and to his surprise, found it empty and dark. No Fallen where near here besides himself, not even the Kell's Guard. He sniffed the air, and tread forward with caution, he would not fall victim to any cowardly traps that could await him down this hall that stood in his way between him and the Kell's Throne room. He stalked down the hall without making so much as a sound even in his heavy armor as he made his way to the door. As he grew closer he could hear the faint words of his Kell speaking to something, or someone on the other side of the door. He crouched as he hid against the locked door and listened, waiting for his chance to strike. The Baron could even make out the words of the Kell inside.

"it all is going well, my Kell. The Devils know nothing! I await to combined our forces and use the Cannon fodder as the front-line assault to attack the Pathetic human City that dares bar our way from the Great Machine."

 _Kell?_

Another voice spoke, and from the way it was distorted the Baron assumed it was from a hologram. "You speak of readiness Baron, yet you lost the Fodder House's Prime Servitor to the pathetic humans you wish to kill."

Something was very wrong here. The Kell had been deceiving them!

"I mean no disrespect, my Kell. However these foolish House of Dregs you have me command are fueled for war now! They wish to avenge their Prime! The loss of the Servitor was needed sacrifice to have them ready to take up arms and attempt to raid the City again without question!" The Baron could hear the groveling in the so called Kell's words as he addressed the hologram. It made the Baron's mandibles curl in disgust. He would fray this false Kell!

The Baron would hear no more of this treachery, he thrust all his might into the door breaking it in and sending it flying into the room. There the Baron could see the true leader behind this plot, on the hologram soon a Kell that he had never seen before, baring the Banner of Kings. He roared in blinded furry and drew all of his weapons at once, and charged! He threw himself on top of the Hologram and stabbed the device and electricity begun to spark and envelope the machine. The hologram stared down the false Devil Kell. "Kill the Challenger. Or Lose your life for this mistake." And then the hologram died away as the machine went dark.

The enraged Baron suddenly found himself surrounded by the False Baron, and some very large and very pissed off Captains, all of them with King Banners and colors. Suddenly the fight wasn't in his favor. The other Baron in the room was larger and had more ether than he did. The Captains that surrounded him were all smaller, but in numbers counting about 5 of them. This 6 versus 1 fight wasn't looking favorably for the Devil Baron.

"Nalos! You foolish filth! You shall die before you can see the combined glory of the House Kings and their servant Devils! Captains, I want his head!" Roared the false Kell, raising his own weapons in the air. The Captains followed suit, drawing their own respective weapons. Two wielding Launchers, two wielding swords, and one with a Wire Rifle. The False Kell stepped back and allowed his underlings the opporunity to strike him first and Nalos snarled at the coward. Only a weak Dreg hid while others did the fighting for them. However, not was not the time to be criticizing fighting styles.

Nalos roared as the first sword wielder charged him, with the second trying to flank him from behind. Acting fast he paired the swords with one of his own, flinging them back and causing the Captain to stumble back while the other one tried to strike Nalos's back only for the massive Baron to whirl his other sword arm out, his longer reach slicing through the Captains pathetic shield and opening the Captain's belly, causing the Fallen King to fall over in a pool of his own lifeblood. One down. The two Captains with Launchers fired at him now relentlessly, and his shield deflected the blows easily, however it would not hold under this much fire for long. The first sword Captain had recovered and swung both swords inwardly, and Nalos lept up, the swords narrowly slicing through air where the Baron had been only moments ago. _Sshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhow!_ The blasted Wire rifle! He took a direct hit to his shield, causing it to fall and the shot even bounced off his helm, making his head rattle and ring from the impact. He stumbled and the Captain with the Swords charged in for the kill, taking their own Shock swords and slicing the Baron across his body. The Baron let out a howl of pain and his arm went limp from the blow; the blow felt like it cleaved through bone and Nalos lost hold of his Launcher. He just barely hung onto it with his uninjured upper arm, abandoning his swords so one lower arm could clutch his chest wound the other, support the Launcher. He lifted it and fired onto the Captain as he tried to keep on his feet; again the blow ate through the weaker shield and sent pieces of heated metal straight through the Captains armor. Two down, but he could not win this fight and he knew it! He roared with rage and frustration and took off for the door before he could be fired upon again by either of the Captains with Launchers or the one with the Wire rifle. He heard a bark of laughter come from the False Kell.

"You won't escape you weakling! You are no match for the Kings!" Taunted the Baron as Nalos fled down the dark hall. His only salvation now was his ship! He had to make it to his ship! There he could command the Pilot Servitor aboard to leave from the Kell's Ketch and escape this place to fight another day!

He ran through the Halls of the ship as fast as his injured body would allow his shield was taking too long for it to regenerate, he needed it to cover him while he escaped. The previous eyes and audience that had watched him before, now were gone. He could not summon the weaker Devils to rise up and defend him and their House from the deceit of House Kings.

He could hear the footsteps of the Captains not far behind him, he had to keep running. He destroyed a door as he forced his way through it, heading as fast has he could to the hanger. Where had all the underlings gone!? He was cursing his luck right now as he flew through the next door way and then made a sharp right turn, praying his feet would not fail him now. He could a Captain closing the distance behind him, was he that badly injured? He turned around and fired onto the Captain with his own Launcher, and in the small hallways, there was no room for the Captain to dodge, and force itself back and it braced for impact. Two round of scrap metal ripped through the shields like there hadn't been one at all, and shredded through the Captains armor. Nalos didn't even bother to stick around to see if the blow was fatal or not, he had to get off this Ketch now!

Through another winding hall of the ship and a few more doors he finally flung himself into the Hangar where his ship awaited him. He could still hear The kings following behind him. He ran across the hangar, feeling himself becoming weaker from his wounds he threw himself onto the open gravity lift and it pulled him upward.

The moment his feet felt like they were on something solid he reached for the controls turning on the comms and turning off the lift before he could be followed. "Servitor, we are leaving now! This Ketch has been infiltrated by Kings!" He roared into the coms, and then relief flooded over him as he felt the powerful engine kicking on beneath his feet. The ship was leaving! He would live!

"Where shall we go Baron?" He heard a assisting Vandal to the servitor ask over the comms.

"Slipspace! Take us to this planet's moon!" He responded with urgency.

"It shall be done!"

"You will not survive the journey to see it."

Nalos did not have any time to react to the words before he heard a ferocious battle cry and felt sudden excruciating pain in his already wounded arm. He cried out in agony and managed to whip himself around to see another King Captain before him, and his own bloody arm now laying in a pool of blood on the ships metal floor. The Baron let out a roar of complete rage and pain over the sight of his detached arm. His blood boiled beyond the point that he could no longer feel anything but rage at this Captain before him.

"You shall die! King scum!" He howled, turning his launcher toward the single Captain, even as the King laughed at him he fired his weapon upon the smaller Fallen repeatedly. The Captain twirled away from the shrapnel and suddenly vanished from sight. That's how the scum managed to get aboard his ship! Nalos roared and lashed out around him, firing haphazardly to find the Captain that had managed to slip from sight. All he could hear was the Captain's taunts and jeers at him while his weapon continued to fire pieces of red hot metal from its barrel. Until finally the weapon clicked uselessly each time he pulled the trigger, signaling he was out of ammunition. He roared again in anger. If he could not fill the Stealth Captain with metal from the weapon, he would simply beat him with it! He stopped from his thrashing and listened for the Captain to jeer at him again.

"Have you realized you are no match for House Kings?" It taunted from behind the Baron. Before the Captain could dodge another attack, Nalos stomped the metal with all his might under him, causing the entire room to shake and send the offending Fallen flying towards the nearest wall with a _THUMP_. He whirled around to face the King Captain face to face before he would smash him to pieces.

"The Devil's will never die! Nor will we follow the cowardly Kings! Now die!" He roared, bringing his empty Shrapnel Launcher in the air, then sung it down towards the downed King, only to watch the Captain use a last ditch effort to teleport away from the blow. The Baron had brought the weapon directly upon the floor shattering the weapon. Nalos abandoned remains of the weapon and turned quickly, and snatched up the Captain by its cloak with his strong upper arm. Then with all the strength he could muster with his wounded body he flung the Fallen King to the opposing wall rounding upon the broken Captain before it could rise up; bringing all three remaining limbs down on top of the body repeatedly until the Captain lay still. Nalos had won. The massive Baron roared victoriously in a bellow that rang through out the ship.

"Commander. We've arrive. What was is all the noise down there?" Echoed the voice of the assisting Vandal from the piloting chambers.

"There was a piece of scum left. It is no longer an issue. Send the medical Vandals down here at once. I have a few scratches that need patching." Nalos replied, refusing to sound weak before his crew. He had won the fight, and escaped before he could be slaughtered. He now had to be the Kell his House needed.

Nalos snatched up his dismembered arm from the floor and flopped down on top of a couple of supply crates that rested near by. He examined the limb and hissed to himself, the limb could not be reattached, and thanks to the shock blade it could not simply regrow either. Nalos had to now accept he was now short a strong upper arm. A small group of Devils came in through the door, two Vandals and two Dregs each accompanied them, carrying the Vandal's tools to patch his bleeding wounds. However the Vandals stopped and stared at him, probably not having expected such great wounds that Nalos now bore.

"What are you fools gawking at? Do you really think these wounds could slow me down? Get to work!" He snapped at the smaller Fallen. The Vandals quickly ordered the Dregs, getting about to first stopping the bleeding the oozed from the stump of what remained of his arm and the deep cut in his chest.

Once his wounds had been tended to, and he had had a chance to get a fresh ration of ether into his system Nalos moved his way through the smaller ship to his throne room to address his entire crew and the importance of their new mission.

He stood before his chair, activating the coms throughout the ship so all the Devil's aboard could hear him.

"House Devils! We are all that remain of our proud House! I went today to challenge the Devil Kell for his title! I found deceit and lies! There was no Devil Kell! Only a King Baron that pretended to be, while surrounded by his weak underlings. I saw him cowering before his own Kell. They have been using us! Treating us all like inferior Fallen, not even worth calling a Dreg! They planned to force us to be their Fodder for another assault onto the Human City! We will not bow before any other House! We are Devils! Follow me my warriors as now I claim the title of Kell and we regain our numbers and strength, we will unleash war upon the Kings and any Fallen that would submit to their rule! We will not be absorbed!" He proclaimed with pride. Then he fell silent, and the whole ship seemed to be quiet also... Then he could could roars of his House rallying with him, supporting his claim!

"From this day forward, I will be Nalos, King-slayer! We will flay them without mercy!"

 _Voxen: The Reef; Prison of Elders._

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo! Meriks is loyal! Meriks is loooooyal to the Queen! See? See? Took wounds as I fought the betrayers!" Cried a Dreg with his hands restrained behind him, trying to convince Voxen in their native tongue of his loyalty.

At first the remaining Wolves had been reluctant to speak with Voxen, viewing her a a strange rogue Fallen, with no loyalties. That was, until Variks clicked and threatened to simply have them all thrown into the arena to die fighting against other creatures held within the Prison for the Queen's amusement. Voxen simply clicked her mandibles at the Dreg; shaking her head. This one had no pride and let his fear overwhelm him. However he was useful, as his fear would spark more among the rest; getting answers from them all much easier.

"Show me this wound of yours, drrrrrreg." She clicked. The dreg was all too quick to turn as much as its body as it could showing a grazing of a wound in his side. Upon closer inspection of the wound, the former Winter Vandal could smell the familiar charring scent that was only caused by a weapon of the Fallen arsenal and if Voxen had to guess it would have been a Shock pistol from the looks of it. She looked to Variks and clicked her mandibles at the fellow Eliskni.

"He speaks truth. He is too fearful to lie, and he has proof of wound." Voxen told the Judgement Scribe.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeees, so it seems... this one will not suffer a traitors fate, yet I know not of what my Queen will do with the ones that are deemed... loooooyal." He answered her. Together they moved on to the next Prisoner, an older Fallen of Vandal rank. This one was already been questioned by Voxen's Chief, however the Huntress looked frustrated with the Vandal, suggesting his skill with human tongue was patchy a best, so Voxen felt she needed to assist. She approached the Huntress respectfully, making sure she was hear on her approach.

"What learned so far my Chief?" She asked.

Shadow shook her head and crossed her arms irritably. "Not much Vox. He keeps saying Queen is Kell, but that's all I think he knows of our language. Which I gotta say I'm surprised, I woulda figured the Wolves would know more English considering that the Queen ruled as their Kell for so long."

Voxen simply shifted on her feet. "They may not have needed to. Some may have served simply to translate."

Varkis clicked his mandibles at her cheerfully. "Very clever. You would be correct, Voxen."

The Vandal hissed at Variks, a very clear warning to stay back. However Voxen ignored the threat, deeming it was not directed towards her and proceeded with her task in their own tongue.

"Tell me, where your loyalties lie, so that I may assist you."

"Loyal to Captain. I go where she goes!" he hissed back at her. "If that means Captain has fealties to Reef Queen then Queen is Kell. I will not fight that."

The Guard shrugged away the hostility, in this situation it was understandable even if she was trying to prevent his imprisonment or even early doom. "I will go to your Captain then.

She looked to her Kell and shook her head. "Vandal says It goes where Caaaaaptain goes."

"Vandal's got some balls on them then. Shit, that's a lot of faith to place your life into that Captain's hands." Shadow answered back while crossing her arms. She looked over at Variks. "Hey, how many Captains we got locked up here?"

Variks tapped his robotic hand on his staff. "Only one. A feeeeemale... as you call it. She has been the calmest of the lot that were arrested."

Shadow made a face that face that eluded Voxen's understanding and nodded at the Judgement Scribe. "Take us to her. We'll have a chat with her."

"Veeeeeery well... She's in a different cell. Being a Captain she could have rallied a riot so the Queen say fit to isolate her. Thisssssss way." He replied walking away from the main group and down the hall of the re-purposed Fallen ship.

Shadow looked to the rest of the Guardians that where here. "Hey guys, stay put and keep questioning the underlings. We'll be back." Then to Voxen. "Commin' Vox?"

"Yeeeeees."

They both followed the Scribe down the hall, passing by several other Cells with different aliens from Hive to Vex inside of them.

"Thought they were locked in Cryo-pods. Once slew a Archon priest that had been raided from here that came out of one." Shadow muttered to no one in particular.

However Variks answered her. "Only high threat prisoners. Ones that can raaaaally troops to fight baaaack. Other wise they are thrown into other occupying cells without care. Without a strong leader to encourage, they cannot do much harm."

"That makes sense. Is the Captain we are visiting in a pod?"

"No. She would just be isolated from other troops. Not high enough rank to stirrrrrrr rebellion. Unless she were a Baron. Then she would be in Crrrrryo slumber."

They came to a sudden stop before a door with a small window; allowing them to peer within the room on the other side. There sat the Captain they were seeking on her knees, no Banner donned on her back and her hands bound behind her while both pairs of eyes were closed. Variks did something to open the door, but Voxen missed whatever it was. The door opened and the three walked in silently.

The Captain didn't move, speak, or anything that would acknowledge she was aware of their presence there. Voxen took a deep breath in to catch in the Captain's scent, finding it odd for one of her kind to be sitting there so calmly. Most Fallen Captains would be fighting the bindings in which they were bound in. They would not stand to be in a cage or so easily submit. Voxen instantly took a liking to the larger Fallen.

Shadow was the one to break the silence. "Oi. You there. Feel like talking?"

The Captain opened her eyes, and looked up at the Guardian with a fierce gaze that Voxen did not care for; this caused Voxen to instinctively move herself between her and the Captain.

"Guaaaaaaardian. Why have you come?" She rasped back at the Huntress.

"You know why I'm here." Shadow replied flatly. "Gotta know where your loyalty is."

The Captain clicked her mandibles irritably. "Why a Guardian to question me?"

"We offered. Now come on I need answer." Shadow answered back.

The Captain rose to her feet and Voxen clicked her mandibles protectively while standing between the Huntress and the larger Captain; warning the Captain to keep her distance.

The Captain only glanced down at her for a moment before she dismissed Voxen's presence there. "Did you know I was the first to be promoted by my Queen? I arrived at the Reef along with my brethren, beaten, defeated, and uncertain of our fate. Only some our Commanders would bow before the Queen as the new Kell."

Shadow placed a hand on Voxen's shoulder, making the Guard break her gaze from the Captain to glace back at her Kell. The Huntress smiled and slowly moved to stand beside her instead of behind. It worried Voxen, but she respected the Huntress's choice. The Huntress's gaze then returned to the Captain.

"Let me guess. Your Captain refused." She spoke softly.

The Captain nodded. "He would condemn his crew to imprisonment or death, for refusing to bow Queen. She had defeated Skolas, the Rabid, and was claiming herself Kell over us. She not Fallen, it did not matter. As my crew were being taken away, I cried out. I know your tongue well, Guaardian." She paused for a moment. "I would swear fealty to the new Kell. Save myself and crew. The Queen looked down at me... I had been lowly Dreg... docked arms and small ether rations. She did that thing you humans do... smile? Yes... She asked if I could serve her. Before her, my crew, and my Captain. I said I would till I breathed no more. I meant it. My Captain screamed foul insults at me in my tongue, and wrestled to get free of the Guards. The Queen merely nodded at one of the Guards, and the Awoken tossed me her gun. Strange weapons... I knew what to do with it. I aimed for my former Captain's head and i fired on him until the ether hissed out of his helm and his body slumped to the floor. The Queen beckoned me. As I knelt before her, she told me to rise, and promoted me to Captain. Right there. I even had claim to the dead ones armor."

The Captain went on defiantly telling her tale. "Tell me Guardian. Does that not show loyalty? Perhaps when I was the only Captain to lead the counter strike with those who would stand beside me fighting against the traitors? I took many under my command. I am loyal. And those who fought beside me, and those who fell beside me, we are loyal to my Kell. My Queen."

They both stood there in silence for a moment. Then Shadow nodded at the Captain. "That's good enough for me. Honestly. The Queen shouldn't have locked you up in the first place. But it's good for you that you didn't resist. I admire that. I'll tell the Queen I highly urge her to release you and all who fought under you and return you to service."

Variks clicked his mandibles having been silent up till now. "I think we are finish here."


End file.
